Seven Days Survivor: The Interlude
by Jon-Berry
Summary: Peaceful days are upon Midori Komaki, now that she has moved to the town of Yasoinaba. Primarily a 'Slice of Life' fic to bridge the gap between The Answer and The Golden.
1. 31 March 2010 to 04 April 2010

**31 March 2010  
><strong>**Minatodai Dorm, Exterior  
><strong>**Afternoon****  
><strong>

The door exploded, slamming on stressed hinges against the railings that guarded the steps leading down to the street. People poured out of the building like a flood, though this one was quite short as some were more hasty than others.

"FREEDOM!" Junpei cried out, exalting in proper sunlight for the first time in over a week. Behind him, Akihiko and Midori both emerged and stood to one side, gulping in fresh air. The rest of SEES filed out, one after the other, until only Aigis remained.

"I must change first," she said, reminding people that her robotic nature was not common knowledge. "I will join you in a couple minutes."

"Hurry back, Aigis!" Fuuka called back as the blonde robot went further into the dorm.

"Fresh air never felt so good, huh Chidori?" Junpei took another deep breath, letting it fill him with more life. "Oh man, so much to do, so much to catch up on."

"Your plans will have to be put on hold, Iori." Mitsuru interjected. She had a cell phone in hand. "You need to get your injury examined."

"It's fine! Honest!" Junpei flexed his wounded arm and shoulder, but he did not convince anyone there that it was in perfect condition. He saw it in their faces that the battle was lost before it began. "Fine, Chidori can come too, right?"

"Of course," Mitsuru replied as the other end of her call was picked up.

Midori finally got over to her bags and found a spare pair of glasses. Putting them on, she breathed a sigh of relief that the world she loved came back into focus. "So, what's the plan, sempai?" She looked at her COMP, which now displayed the correct time. "We kinda gained about 10 hours."

Fuuka and Akihiko shared a look while Mitsuru talked on the phone. "I'm not sure. This sort of thing hasn't happened to us before."

"Bath." Yukari declared. "No arguments. We're getting a bath."

"You mean that place to the north?" Ken asked as Koro circled his legs.

"Yes." Yukari rubbed her head, trying to work some of the mess in her hair. "No way we're going back in there, so it's the next best thing. Bath house."

"Oh, come on, don't do this to me!" Junpei complained as the plan was being formed. "Mitsuru-sempai is sending me to the hospital, and you're all going to the _bath_!"

"I'm going with you," Akihiko said. "We can do the bath house in a few hours after we've got everything straightened out."

"Why must you come?" Chidori asked, unsure of his motives. "You aren't needed."

"No," the boxer replied, "But the staff at the hospital know and trust me more than you. They'll talk to me more directly that to either of you."

"Hey, Chidori? Don't fret it." Junpei moved to soothe her down. "It's not like everyone is coming."

"Oh! Aigis, there you are! We're going to the Bath once Junpei comes back from the hospital," Yukari explained to the returning person. "You are up for that, aren't you?"

"I am," Aigis said as she stepped out into the sunlight, dressed in her school uniform. "I was surprised that this was still available."

Mitsuru snapped her phone shut. "Iori, a car will be here for you shortly. I will expect a call from you, Akihiko, once the results are in." For a moment, she relaxed in her composure before regaining it. "I will take that time to secure a proper bath rental for all of us, as well as a proper supper." She looked around, judging each person's needs as she met their faces. "We have several unexplained hours free, I do not know if our actions now will do something to our actions in the past."

Groaning, Fuuka bowed her head. "Are you suggesting we repeat what we were doing before we entered the Dorm?"

"That is impossible," Mitsuru admitted. "Rather, we should do nothing that would contradict our memories of this day."

"Wait, so that means I can't send Ken to the corner store to buy a lottery ticket?" Junpei suggested off the top of his head.

Whichever cold gaze was more intimidating, Chidori's, Mitsuru's or Akihiko's, he would never say. "Never mind then."

"While Iori is being examined," Mitsuru returned to her command, "We will need to write up reports regarding what happened. While I've been doing so during our... incident, it would behove us to put our thoughts in order." She fixed Midori and Aigis with a stern glare. "And you two will have to set down everything you know about Igor-san, the Velvet Room and all there in. No more secrets from either of you."

Aigis nodded. "Of course."

Midori shook her head. "I still have plenty of things I won't tell you," she carefully prefaced, "but regarding Igor, Theodore and Elizabeth, I won't hold back."

Knowing that was the best she would get, Mitsuru made her acceptance of that condition known. "However, I see no reason to do so inside the Dorm. We can work outside."

**Iwasaki Residence**

Rio picked up the phone, "Moshi-moshi?"

"RIO-CHAN!" Rio jerked the phone away form her ear, lest Midori destroy it with her enthusiasm. "I talked to Aigis, she's changed her mind, she's coming back to school and she'll join the tennis team and she'll bring a friend and she'll be captain!"

"I did not agree to that," Aigis could be heard saying in the background.

"Oh, hush," Midori said away from the phone. "You'll be fine!"

"What is going on, Midori?" Rio finally managed to get a word in. "What's this about Aigis? I thought she was leaving."

"I changed her mind. Sort of." Midori admitted cheerfully. "I just wanted to let you know so that you can know you can depend on her."

"Um, that's good and all that, but..." Rio looked up at the kitchen. "I'm in the middle of something here. Tell Aigis I'll see her at school then. Or she can call me."

"Right!" Midori hung up, leaving the tennis team captain wondering just what the hell was going on.

**Kirijo Memorial Hospital**

Akihiko waited for Mitsuru to pick up, which she did after the second ring. "Akihiko, how are things?", she asked without introduction. "Good news, I hope?"

"Pretty much," Akihiko glanced down the corridor where Junpei was trying to get enough privacy to change back into his street clothes. "The doctors did an X-ray, and there are still fragments of the bullet in his shoulder, but they are tiny. They recommend against further surgery as it would only cause more tissue damage. The body will heal around them."

"So, Junpei will be alright?" He could hear the complete relief in her voice.

"Pretty much. He still needs time to rehabilitate his arm, the doctor is doing some paperwork on that now."

"I told them, no paperwork." Mitsuru took on a hard tone. "Which doctor?"

"Oh! No, this isn't official paperwork, more like an exercise regimen." Akihiko moved to stop his friend from going overboard. "No paper trail."

"Good. I will let Midori know that her actions were completely successful then. I have also made arrangements for food and bath. Come back to the dorm, and we can go together."

Akihiko watched as Junpei finally managed to close the door on Chidori, leaving him trapped in the bathroom while she stood vigil with the door a mere centimeter from her face. "We'll be there."

Now all he had to do was keep those two in line. As he put the phone away, a thought crossed his mind that gave him pause.

Would Chidori be going into the same class as Junpei? That would be something Mitsuru would do, ignorant of the consequences.

**Bathhouse  
><strong>**Evening****  
><strong>

"Oh, that feels good." Fuuka sank into the hot water, letting the stress of the past two weeks slide away. "Thank you, Mitsuru-san."

"Don't thank me," the oldest woman in the room replied. "It was Yukari's idea."

"Thank you, Yukari!" Midori said as she joined Fuuka. "How are you guys over there?" She called out over the divider wall between the male and female sides.

"Oh, just peachy," Junpei said back. "You didn't have to rent the entire place, just for us, you know."

"Yes she did," Ken corrected him. "Aigis."

"Oh right. Sorry Aigis!"

"Forgiven." The robot didn't need more than a functional cleaning, so she took to helping the others.

"Chidori, _relax_." Midori tried to command from her slumped over position on the edge of the pool. "You're trying to burn a hole in the wall."

"I don't feel right leaving him." The red-haired woman said without changing her gaze."

"Frosty." Midori summoned her Persona, and lifted him up with one hand to interpose him between Chidori and the wall. "There, he can take all the heat you can muster."

"Dismiss your Persona," Mitsuru said sharply. "Now is not the time for such things."

Midori pouted. "She's just jealous," she stage-whispered to Fuuka, who only rolled her eyes. But Midori did as she was commanded anyways. "So, after this, supper, then what?"

"You go to the train station," Aigis said. "You are under the most sensitive time limits."

"DADDY!" Midori shot upright, the sudden motion of pushing herself off the lip of the pool causing her to slip and fall backwards with a splash. The others dropped what they were doing to make sure she hadn't hurt herself, but she broke the surface without harm. "What do I tell him?"

"Tell him what?" Mitsuru frowned at her junior's actions. "The past two weeks never happened."

"I..!" Midori bowed her head. "You're right. I just miss him, you know. I was expecting to be in Inaba by now, but now is not now, but it still is, so he hasn't missed me." She looked up at her friends. "Am I making any sense?"

"No more, nor less than your usual self," Aigis offered a hand to Midori, which was taken. "Come, let us be done soon. We still have a meal, then you have a train to catch."

**01 April 2010  
><strong>**Shin-Aomori Line  
><strong>**After Midnight**

They had seen her off, all of them. It was good bye, but it wasn't a proper parting. They had been through so much together that their bonds could be strained, but never broken. Even though she was the first to go her own way, away from the others, she knew she could count on them, and they on her.

In the darkness and privacy of her seat, Midori let herself cry for the first time since hell came to Earth. Some days, survival wasn't enough.

**Inaba Station  
><strong>**Morning**

The Conductor looked over the napping girl. She had been passed into his care a couple hours ago when she had sleep-walked between trains, escorted by one of his co-workers to make her connection. Having come a long way, she kept her ticket in her hand with a complete death-grip, even as she was guided by the conductor through her journey.

And her luggage wasn't lost either, which was always a good thing.

"Sit down here," he said, leading the barely-awake girl to one of the plastic seats that lined the walls of the station. "I'm sure whoever it is that will pick you up will be here shortly." He looked around and didn't see anyone obviously looking for a pickup. He had examined the ticket when she had made her transfer, and noted the name, well experienced in this sort of polite service.

Walking over to the station office, he borrowed the public address system. "Would the party for Komaki please go to Pillar 3B for the rest of their party?" He did not announce who was being waited for, as that was completely unprofessional, and not to mention improper given that he was protecting a teenaged girl.

When he got back, he saw a middle-aged gentleman approaching. Seeing the Rail official, he angled toward him. They met out of sight of the napping girl. "Komaki Mamoru," the man said, bowing. "There was a page for my daughter, Midori?"

Knowing the name was good enough, and the Conductor would stay to make sure that it was the correct pick up. He showed Mamoru to Midori.

"Hey, beautiful. Wake up!" Mamoru gently pinched Midori's nose shut, causing her to snort, then fitfully wake up.

"Daddy?"

Satisfied, the Conductor left the father and daughter to their reunion.

"DADDY!" Midori did her best to sweep away the far too little sleep and stood up to embrace her father. He returned the hug gratefully. "You came to pick me up!" Her words were slightly slurred by her exhaustion.

"And you've been crying," he said as he pushed a strand of hair out of her face. "Come on, I haven't seen you properly in months. Let me have a look at you." He broke the embrace and stepped back. "You've been growing!"

Midori smiled and bowed. "Thank you, daddy!" She saw that her luggage was neatly stacked beside her seat, though she had no recollection of getting into said seat. "So, how has work been?"

Mamoru smiled. "My job is well. The promotion has brought with it more responsibilities, as well as more opportunities. I am grateful." He bowed in apology. "Once again, I am sorry I asked you to come to this town for me. It was greedy."

"You don't need to apologize!" Midori replied. "You're my daddy! And we've spent enough time apart already." She grabbed two of her bags, leaving the middle sized one for her father. "Where did you park?"

Picking up the last bag, Mamoru led the way out of the train station and into the early morning fog. It was extremely thick, with visibility less than a hundred meters. "The company bought a new car for me, as I'm going to be doing a lot of driving in the near future." He pointed with a free hand at pearl-white car sitting just outside the handicapped stalls, and beside a heavy farmer's truck. "They went all out, and bought me a Crown!"

"A what?" Cars weren't her thing.

Mamoru sighed. "One day... It's a Toyota, and one of the new Hybrid Electrical cars. The company wants me to put our best face forward, so they loaned me a new model, this year!"

"Daddy, you don't get excited over cars." His daughter admonished him. "That just sounded fake."

"Would you rather I channelled my inner Sentai?" Mamoru grinned, knowing he could still bust out the proper poses from his time as a stuntman for the Featherman franchise. And did on occasion when he wanted to elicit a humorous reaction from his co-workers and beloved daughter. "That can be enthusiastic enough!" He toggled the locks with the remote and swung around the back to open the rear compartment. "Here we go. Going to stop at the convenience store for some breakfast, I think, then we'll go to our new home."

Midori judged her father's actions carefully. He had said nothing about their accommodations here in Inaba, so she still wasn't sure how much room to expect in their new apartment. And his body language said nothing still, save that he was excited, which was only natural. "So, where do we live?"

Mamoru loaded all the luggage, thankful he had lowered the rear seat earlier. "In a residential area on the north side of town. We're pretty close to the river, and it's within walking distance of your new school."

"Huh," Midori didn't know how to respond to that. She had _never_ walked straight to school before. It was always via bus, or in the case of Gekkoukan, Monorail. "How is that supposed to work?"

Her father barked out a quick laugh. "Oh, don't worry. Classes don't start for a week, so you'll have time to orient yourself around town."

"Thanks, daddy." Midori yawned as she opened the passenger door and sat down. After a moment's fumbling she got the seat belt to work right, then started to snore, her store of energy depleted.

Once Mamoru climbed in and secured himself, he saw his daughter already napping. Leaning over, he kissed her on the forehead. "Welcome home."

**Komaki Residence  
><strong>**Morning**

"Wake up, Midori. We're here." Mamoru shut off the engine and put on the brakes before tapping Midori in the shoulder. "Wakey wakey!"

In response, the bluenette swatted at his finger like it was an insect. So he went with the standby and pinched her nose again.

After a moments interrupted breathing, she was forced awake. "Daddy?"

"We're here." He opened his door. "Come on, get your stuff, I'll show you to your room."

This time remembering where the seatbelt was, Modori got out faster than she got in. Circling to the back, she collected her bags, then looked around. "Daddy, where's the apartment?"

Mamoru stifled a laugh. "We live here," he said, pointing to the house whose driveway they were in.

Midori looked at it, then back to her father. "We're sharing with someone?"

"No. We live here."

"Oh, we're renting a floor!" For some reason, she felt like she was missing something, but couldn't figure out what. "Top or bottom?"

"No, this is our house."

Midori looked at the house, her brain refusing to process. "Huh?"

"House, Midori." Mamoru started to giggle, just a bit. "I own a house now."

"But houses are for rich people." Midori tried to figure that out. They had always lived in an apartment of some stripe, save for the past six months in a Dormitory. Which was close enough to an Apartment to make no difference.

"Yes, and I got a promotion, remember?"

Then it dawned. This was a _house_. She was going to live in a _house_ from now on.

"WHAAAAT?!"

**03 April 2010  
><strong>**Shopping District  
><strong>**Afternoon**

Midori didn't like this town. It was too small. From her room (she had a room!) she could see most of Inaba, and not in a good way. The Junes store was still under construction, raised up like a bloated hill that was currently covered in blue tarps as the construction workers milled around it.

She was a city girl, there were no two ways about that. She was accustomed to crowds, either for the anonymity they brought, or because she stood out in them. Here, there was just enough people on the street that she was neither.

And the looks didn't help any either. It had become painfully obvious in the past couple days that anyone associated with the new mega-store being put up was unloved at best. And having just moved in, the locals had automatically ostracized her, even though her daddy didn't work for Junes, but rather for the Advertising company. But they didn't care.

A bag of tofu for supper in hand, she walked back down the street. Across from her was the local shrine to the land god of some stripe. While normally she would have gone there and prayed for a good welcome, she was on the outs with pretty much every divine spirit that could be housed there at the moment.

Fighting in the War of Bel kinda did that.

Looking up at the sky, she saw more impending rain. According to the long range forecast, there was good chance for rainfall for the next week or so, and her daddy had told her that this valley was good farmland thanks to the higher-than-average rainfall they got. Which meant, she was warned, that she had to carry her umbrella with her every day until summer.

At least she had a proper umbrella, rather than one of those cheap plastic ones you could buy at the corner gas store. She had nothing against them, but she liked her own personal one.

She had walked up and down this street a few times already, noting that several store fronts were closed, while others showed some signs of distress. It was sad in a way, but she had no investment in these places to make it more than academic.

Passing by the book store, impulse over took her. She stepped inside, ringing the actual physical brass bell that was above the door. "Hello," she said, bowing slightly to the man behind the counter. She got a grunt in reply. Typical reaction.

Browsing to the back of the store and working her way forward, Midori picked up a couple books at random, not really interested in the contents, but more to try and buy her way into some grace with the local businesses. She hadn't set foot in the fabric store yet, that would have to come later after she had properly settled in.

Oh, that was another thing. Her house (HOUSE!) had a room separate from her bedroom, which her daddy called her 'studio'. A separate room where she could put her Web show equipment, and her sewing gear! And daddy had a private office as well! The mind boggled!

She picked a book from the cooking shelf at random, deciding that three was enough for a initial purchase. At the front, she made her purchase, and was nothing less than cheerful, civil, cute and polite. And she barely got three words from the man. Admitting to failure at round one, she resolved to have better luck once school started on Monday. Which was in two days. Which was barely any time to get ready!

Tomorrow, she would need to get everything in order. There was no taking any chances, as she needed to put her absolute best foot forward, or spend another agonizing year being on the outside of the social circles. And the Internet wasn't being helpful either.

**04 April 2010  
><strong>**Residence of Kinshiro Morooka  
><strong>**Afternoon**

Principal! This is an honour!" Morooka bowed and scraped as the venerable man who ran Yasogami High School with a firm and strict hand stood at his door.

"Ah, Kinshiro-sensei. I was hoping you were home. May I borrow a moment of your time?" The man invited himself in, allowing for his junior to step back and make him welcome. "I won't be more than a moment."

"Of course, of course!" Morooka bowed again, and thanked the gods that he kept his home spotless. The Principal would find no fault there. "Would you like some tea?"

"Yes, please." The Principal changed footwear and let himself be escorted to the living room, where he sat at the table. "How are your preparations coming along?"

"Good! Good!" Morooka replied from the kitchen. "Everything is ready for class to begin tomorrow. If I may, how is your commencement speech?"

"It too is complete. And it warms my heart to see an honest young man like yourself taking his responsibilities seriously." The Principal let the scent of the tea waft over him as his host set down the two cups and poured some for both of them. "But I am afraid my visit is for something a bit less... controllable."

That worried the teacher. But then again, the Principal was coming to _him_, so that showed a large amount of faith in his abilities. "How may I be of assistance, Principal?"

"You have a new student in your class, starting tomorrow. She is a new arrival." The Principal sipped the tea, enjoying the texture. "But she is not an ordinary student."

"What do you mean, Sensei?"

"Her name, Komaki Midori-chan. She is quite the unique individual. Thankfully she's starting with the new year, easing her transition. She also has a sponsor."

Morooka said nothing, letting the Principal explain at his own pace. "You recall, from your own High School days.. oh, what was the name of it again?"

"Seven Sisters," Morooka was proud of his time there. Proper people with proper culture and none of this modern crap that came with everything else.

"Ah, yes, the Seven Sisters High School. Anyways, this Komaki-chan is coming to us from Gekkoukan High, an equally high-class facility." He sipped some more. "She is also friends with one Kirijo Mitsuru, whom is now head of the Kirijo Group, since the untimely passing of her father last year."

Morooka paid attention. Details were important.

"Anyways, the young mistress of the Kirijo has made a sizable donation to our esteemed school. While it is simply a donation on paper, one need not look deep to see why."

The teacher nodded in understanding, though he was not yet sure of where this was going. "I know the name Kirijo from somewhere, but I cannot recall."

"They are an off-shoot of the Nanjo Group," the Principal explained. "Surely you remember them?"

Morooka froze. "Ah, yes." Everything started to make sense now. He had experience in proper educational standards for high-class students, and this Komaki-chan was being sent to his class because of it. He knew a young Nanjo from his own days as a student, and the connections were apparent to him.

"This donation was quite fortunate, I must say." The Principal drew a slip of paper from a pocket in his sleeve, and slid it face down across the table to Morooka. "With it, we can do certain maintenance work that has been delayed over the summer break."

Morooka looked at the paper, his face turning very pale as he saw what was written there. That changed a lot of things. "Of course, Principal. I will see to it that our new student receives the very best education that we can give her."

"That's what I wanted to hear, Kinshiro-Sensei."


	2. 05 April 1010 to 10 April 2010

**05 April 2010  
><strong>**Yasogami High School  
><strong>**Morning**

Midori stood outside the Teacher's Office, the sign of complete perfection. Her efforts yesterday to make sure everything was in order had paid off, and she had arrived at the school to finalize her paperwork and transfer very early.

So now she was waiting here to be called. All her books were in her bag, her new uniform was trim and proper, and so far everyone had been too busy meeting and greeting on the first day to notice her properly. Although her hair did get a few looks, given that a quick survey of the student population suggested that she was the only one with a vibrant colour on the grounds. Privately she had to admit to herself that it was only a casual check. She wasn't about to stand on the roof and yell out for anyone with fancy hair to join her.

"Yo! Komaki Midori-chan? You here?" A middle aged man with a pronounced jaw and crooked nose slammed open the door to the teacher's office.

"Present!" Midori bowed to her teacher. "I am Komaki!"

The man looked her up and down, something that seemed a little off to the blue-haired survivor. Then he stood straight and took a moment to fix his tie, almost like he wanted to impress... _her_. "I'm Kinshiro Morooka, your homeroom teacher. Come in."

A small ball of worry grew in Midori's stomach. He was a fan. He had to be. That was the only explanation. But she followed, quite certain that he would do nothing out of the ordinary in the presence of his coworkers. She hoped.

Unbidden, the image of him doing something inappropriate, then her _breaking_ him came to mind, and just as fast, she threw them out. No violence. He wasn't a demon, or a Shadow, not had he proved himself to be someone she needed to fight. Instead, she followed him to his desk, noting where it was for when she had to come here in the future.

"Now, I know that Yasogami isn't the class of school you're used too, Midori-chan." He said as he sat down and pulled out her papers, checking them over. "But that is all the more reason for you to be on your best behaviour. The girls around here, they don't see much in their future, so all they do is listen to trashy music, and don't bother trying with their studies." He glanced up at her. "I expect more from you."

Midori was confused and refused to show it. Her assumption was wrong. But then, so was his apparently. As he talked about 'proper attitude', and 'personal decorum', she tried to puzzle him out, even as she agreed with him in all the right places.

And failed. He eventually stopped talking. "Head up to homeroom. I'll introduce you to the brats, then the Principal will have his commencement speech."

She bowed. "Thank you, Sensei."

**Class 2-2**

"And with everything else, we've got a new student. So listen up! Come in!" Kinshiro-sensei summoned her, and Midori knew it was show time. Just like she had practised at home, in her head and at Gekkoukan. Midori entered, and stood to the left of the teacher's podium. She instantly had the attention of everyone in the room, which was good. Now she just had to push it.

"My name is Midori Komaki," she said, bowing again in greeting. She spun to write her name on the chalkboard behind her. "I like sewing," - don't mention she's a minor 'Net idol - "a bit of camera work, and I don't like rude people who think they can tell others what to do." There was a collective intake of breath from her new class, enough that Midori was sure she had stepped on some sort of social landmine.

"Thank you, Midori-chan. The seat for you is over there." Morooka pointed at an empty seat second row from the hallway, and fourth from the front. "You heard her, no rudeness!"

As she went to her desk, she was mindful of the awed looks she got. Why was that, she wondered as she took her seat.

Beside her, a girl leaned over while their teacher was distracted. "I'm Saki," she said quietly. "How did you do that?"

"Do what?" Midori asked, honestly confused.

"Insult the King Moron like that, and have him take it?"

"What do you mean? And King Moron?" Midori whispered back while pretending to pay attention to the teacher's speech. It was a repetition of the one she had already heard from him in the lounge. That he repeated himself was of no concern to her. She was used to people needing practise, and sometimes things worked out better when you had an 'audience' to work with.

"His name! And he hates everyone!" Saki leaned back as Morooka spun around to catch any of his students not paying their fullest attention.

"KONORI! ATTENTION!" The teacher whipped a piece of chalk at the offending boy, though due to the angle it slammed into his desk before bouncing and shattering on the floor behind him. The poor boy, whose attention had drifted over in Midori's direction, was shocked into compliance. "Keep it in yer pants." Morooka finished with a warning, then went right back into his talk about manners and behaviour.

"See?" Saki and Midori leaned back toward each other as soon as it was safe. "He hates everyone!"

Midori shook her head. "He doesn't not-like me," she said carefully. "I mean, he's a bit repetitive, but... really?"

Saki nodded. "Yes! I'll explain later, at lunch. Until then, don't do anything to set him off!"

**Room 2-2  
><strong>**Lunchtime**

That was the question of the day. Which somehow bumped off her worst fears from the top of the heap of questions she was expecting to answer. How did she convince the King Moron to not hate her right off the bat?

And the worst part was, she had no clue. Everyone refused to believe her. While she was certainly happy to answer the usual run of questions – when was her birthday, was her hair really that colour, what subjects did she like, what clubs was she looking to join – that one caused no end of problems. People thought she was lying to them. Even the subtle questioning about the relation between her family and Junes was suborned by that.

She had also answered that question truthfully, and in response to the local opinion, had made it clear that she was glad her daddy didn't work for that company. Some were impressed that she was a Manager's Daughter, though she didn't feel like that level of emphasis was correct.

And not once did anyone ask about Dolly. It was almost... frightening, though she supposed that she had just arrived, and as such, they had no idea to begin looking. Maybe in a week she'll get her first autograph request.

But in the meantime, she tried to eat lunch as she fielded questions, being more successful in one than the other.

**Yasogami High School  
><strong>**Front Entryway  
>After School<strong>

"You see her?"

"The new girl? With the hair?"

"Yes! She actually insulted the Moron to his face, and he took it!"

"What? No way!"

"That's not possible!"

"She did!"

"How?"

"I don't know!"

"Maybe she's sleeping with him?"

"WITH THE MORON? EEEEEWWWWW!"

"Maybe she's got some blackmail on him?"

"That's more likely!"

"Yeah! She's got to have some incriminating pictures."

"I always knew he was a sleaze. Bet he thought he could get away with it with the new girl."

"Well, she sure showed him!"

**Komaki Residence  
><strong>**After School**

Midori kicked off her shoes, and just wanted to go to bed. The first day had been a tiring affair, and not because of the homework. Just so many people to charm! She needed her beauty rest. Thankfully daddy was out today at the office, and he had let her know ahead of time that he would be late coming home.

A glance at the calender showed no new days circled, which was always a good thing. As per family tradition, the main calender in the entryway had certain days marked. Blue circles were for Mamoru's business days, and business trips, where he wasn't expecting to be home. Green circles were days where he would be home and not working, mostly for father-daughter time.

So far, only two weeks were marked blue this month, with one day in green. That one was on Saturday, marking their effective first week in Inaba. They would go out together and walk all over, a family thing. Midori was really looking forward to that, but all she had to do was survive this week first.

As she was dumping her school bag on the living room table, sorting out the supplies she needed for homework from those she didn't, the phone rang. Surprised, Midori abandoned the table and jogged over. She had given her home number to Saki as she hadn't gotten local service for her cell yet, but no one else. Maybe this was a checkup call? Or it could be for daddy, but usually those calls went to his office.

"Moshi-mosh!" She shortened the last word as she often did, not recognizing the number on the call display.

"OH THANK GOODNESS!" Junpei's slightly strained voice came over the line. "Midori! You got to help me!"

Heart pounding at the plea, Midori shifted gears instantly. "Junpei! What's happening? Where's everyone else?"

"No! Not that kind of problem." Junpei took a deep breath. "It's just that you're closest to Chidori, and, well, things kinda got... weird at school today."

Midori wanted to slap her face. Then slap Junpei. "What happened?" At least she kept the exasperated sigh out of her voice.

"Well, things were going well. Came back to class, told my friends the story that Mitsuru cooked up regarding everything, stuff was going well, you know, all that. Then lunch time comes around. I'm sitting down to eat with the guys, well, that's when Chidori comes in. Oh did I tell you she's in another class? She's in another class. Anyways, she comes in and everyone just _stops_. I mean, she opens the door and steps in, and she instantly looks at me. No problems there, right? Well, she doesn't say anything. She just walks up to my desk, grabs an empty one and swings it around to face me. Then she starts eating. Doesn't say a thing! So here I am, trying to talk to my homies, and Chidori is _right there_. And she's looking at me!"

Midori seriously considered hopping on a train, going back to Tatsumi, finding Junpei and slapping some sense into him. Then decided better. She could get Aigis to do that for her! "Alright, Junpei? Calm down."

"I am calm!" He wasn't.

"IORI JUNPEI!" She barked, hoping the sudden seriousness would help him focus. "Chidori is your _girlfriend_. Why wouldn't she share lunch with you?"

"Dude! I mean, Midori! She's.. I mean..." She could just see him deflating. "You're the love expert. What do I do?"

"First, relax." Midori leaned up against the wall. "Stressing isn't going to help. Now, what did you tell the others about her?"

"Um, that I started seeing her last fall, that she got into a bad way, and that I had to go into Witness Protection for a while because of things." It was close enough to the official cover story that Midori accepted it. "But she doesn't have to, you know, at lunch!"

Midori held the phone away from her head as she hit her forehead against the wall. Stupid Stupei! "Junpei?"

"Yes? I heard a thump. Is everything alright? I need to come up there and beat someone up for you?" His worry was honest, which was good.

"What? No, just something slipping. New house and all that. Look, Junpei, let me lay this out nice and easy for you. You love Chidori. Chidori loves you. _You gave her part of your soul to keep her alive_, and that's not something that just... goes away. She wants to be with you." She sighed, trying to find the right words. This was so much easier when she could see people face to face. "Just smile, greet her, and enjoy her company. You don't have to leave anyone else behind for her, and she can't take you away from anyone. She shows up in your class at lunch? Include her! Invite Yuakri and Aigis as well. Boys on one side, girls on the other. It will work out."

"You sure you don't want to come back here? Talk to her?"

Midori bumped her head again. "No. Just relax. Don't panic, and _trust yourself_. Look, give me another call in a week, say, Sunday evening. Give me an update then, alright? I still have things I need to do here as well."

"Oh man! How is your new school anyways? Aigis is worried."

"You tell her that I'll call when I have time. Probably on Saturday. However, if anyone confesses to Aigis, I want you to call me right away. There's no way she'll be able to handle that on her own."

Junepi snorted. "What? Don't trust Yukari?"

"Where Aigis is concerned? No. And her own wounds are still fresh."

"Alright. Look, I've taken up enough of your time. Talk to you later."

"You too, Junpei."

He was about to hang up, when one last thought crossed his mind. "Oh, Midori?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks. For everything. Chidori told me how much you helped while I was... gone. I owe you. Seriously."

Midori switched to the most cheerful voice she could muster. "Then pray I never collect!"

**07 April 2010  
><strong>**Yasogami High School, Office of the Principal  
><strong>**Lunchtime**

"Ah, Morooka-sensei. Please come in!" The old Principal invited in the teacher. "Sorry to take you away from your work."

"You are never a burden," Morooka replied, knowing better than to say otherwise. The man may be old, but he wasn't senile. "How may I be of service?"

"How is your student?" The question was blunt and direct, there was no need to mince words.

"Good, good. Very proper. Making friends with Saki-chan. I think she's showing Komaki-kun around."

"Ah yes. Her parents own the liquor store in the shopping district, and her younger brother will be joining us next year." It did not surprise Morooka at all that the Principal knew the family of every student in the school. "A good choice. What else?"

"We've only had one test, but she scored top in the class. I think she's used to tougher exams, by her reaction." The teacher allowed the principal to make an observation, if he so choose, but nothing came of it, save for a stroked beard. "I'm not going to punish my other students just to give her a challenge though."

"Also, I heard she was looking into founding a sports club. She was in the tennis club at her previous school, and decided to make one when she found out we didn't have any."

"Understandable. I know that our equipment for that sport is sorely lacking. However, I'm certain I can free up funds for...all our sports clubs to receive new equipment. Let the students reap the benefits of our sponsor, even if they do not know why or how."

"Of course, Principal. If she asks, I'll gladly take on the role of adviser."

"As long as it doesn't interfere with your other duties, I see no reason so sign the paperwork when it crosses my desk." The Principal stroked his beard again. "Thank you for your time, and I continue to trust in your discretion."

**After School**

The rain pattered against the many umbrellas as the school emptied for the day. Beneath two of them, Midori and Saki walked, chatting quietly. "Ugh, more rain." The brunette complained, though her blue-haired friend only giggled in response. "What? Don't tell me you like it?"

Midori shrugged, sending raindrops off her covering. "It's rain. I'm only worried about mud and slipping." She looked around, then leaned in. "I just wish people would stop giving the evil eye."

"It's your hair." Saki offered. "It's not exactly... normal."

"It's natural!" Midori defended herself. "I've never used dye in my life!"

"People don't know that." Saki slumped her shoulders. "I'd be one of them too if you weren't sitting beside me in class."

Midori was alarmed. "I'm not hurting you by talking to you, am I?"

"No! You're not with Junes, so we don't hate you."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Midori thanked her luck, and maybe the grace of the King of Bel that she had avoided that particular pit. "I'll win them over," she confirmed to herself, "I'll just make friends. In fact, I already have one!" She smiled at Saki, who only looked away, embarrassed. "Hey, wanna come over to my place tonight? My dad is out, and I could really use the company."

"I'll have to check with my parents," Saki replied. "Work is picking up and they may need me." She sounded tired to Midori's ear.

"Then maybe I can come over!" Midori changed the offer around, keeping to the theme of not being alone. "If there's a problem with work, I can help!" She pumped one arm in the air. "Even if it means just cleaning up with a broom and mop and bucket."

**Central Shopping District, Konishi Liqueur  
><strong>**Evening****  
><strong>

"Me and my big mouth."

**08 April 2010  
><strong>**Komaki Residence  
><strong>**After School****  
><strong>

Midori stared, incredulous at the information being given to her. This couldn't be real. And yet, it was. Some quick research had shown her that yes, indeed, the local Internet connection was _horrible_. It would take hours for her latest Dolly video to upload! And livestreaming was right out!

Unable to do more, she could only turn her attention to her text books and the homework therein.

_Heeee~~y!_

_It's DOLLY!_

_Soorrr-eee for being so late! Love and Justice for everyone!_

_But you see, I've moved to my new home, and it's a HOUSE! I live in a house now! Wow! It's so big and pretty! I'll have to show you all around sometime._

_Now, I see a lot of you are worried about me moving schools again, but don't worry! Dolly won't let that slow her down one bit!_

_So, first thing's first! A vote! Who wants to see my house first? Or my new School?_

**10 April 2010  
><strong>**Komaki Residence  
><strong>**Afternoon**

In a fit of competency, the normally abnormal cooking of the elder Komaki had turned out acceptable. If only because there was no way to screw up heating premade store bought food and some tea in a picnic basket could go wrong. He did that while his daughter finished off her own preparations for their first proper family outing in their new hometown, and he was glad that work hadn't made a mess of those plans.

Violating a green day was cause for major punishment. And he knew that his beloved Midori could to horrible things when he failed to uphold his promises. He didn't raise her otherwise.

"Midori, you ready?" he called out as he finished putting the sandwitches on top of the soup in the basket.

"I am, daddy!" Midori hopped down the stairs, school uniform on. "Ready!"

"You know," he said as she looked around. Keys? Check. Phone? Check. Camera? Check. "You don't have to wear your uniform. It's not required like your last school to wear it at all times."

Midori looked down, as though she was unaware she hadn't changed from the half-day of school. "I know, but it's Saturday. And everyone else will still be in theirs!"

He didn't argue the point further. "Alright. So, let's get going then!"

**Central Shopping District**

At Midori's insistence, they had started at the north end of the street. When he asked, she simply pointed out a store at the top of the hill and smiled. "My friend, Saki-chan's parents own that store!"

Mamoru levelled a faint glare at his daughter. "You, Midori, are far to young to be drinking."

"I just want to say hello, daddy!" She pouted equally as false as her father's recrimination. "Maybe she'll come with us!"

Her father shrugged. "Couldn't hurt. And I can meet her parents as well."

**Konishi Liqueur**

"SAAA-KI!" Midori announced her presence over the sound of the bell above the door. Mamoru followed a moment later, careful not to damage the basket in his hand. "Are you in?"

An elderly man stood behind the counter. He winced slightly at Midori's cry, but quickly controlled himself. "Ah, Midori, was it? I'm sorry, she's out right now making some deliveries."

Midori pouted while her father stepped up to the counter. Bowing, he introduced himself. "Hello. I am Komaki Mamoru. Thank you for looking after my daughter earlier."

"It wasn't a problem. Konishi's the name." Saki's father didn't give his personal name to the stranger, even if he was related to his daughter's newest 'friend'. "She wasn't an embarrassment."

"That's good to hear. Midori and I are just taking a long walk through the shopping district today to get to know everyone," he smiled pleasantly, fully aware that he was fighting an uphill battle with every word. "She thought to come here first to introduce one of her friends to me." He looked around at the selection. "Local?"

"Of course. You want the imported stuff, you got to go somewhere else. We only sell quality goods here." To Mamoru, he heard that the proprietor equated 'local' with 'quality', and his business mind started to point out the pros and cons of that sort of opinion. "You buying?"

Mamrou shook his head in apology. "Not today. Although I may come back tomorrow to pick up a bottle or two for business trips."

Midori's head shot up from where she was poking around. "No drinking on the job daddy!"

"I didn't say that, beautiful." Mamoru rolled his eyes. "But having a good drink with business partners after successful negotiations is a time honoured tradition in all business. So, I will stock up here."

Konishi grunted, but didn't move to disabuse the man. "We're open from noon tomorrow."

"I will return." Mamoru bowed. "Thank you for your time."

**Tatsumi Textiles**

Midori was in heaven. Not the literal heaven. Perhaps Nirvana was a better word? Or Paradise? How she had missed this place on her previous walkthroughs was a mystery that would span the ages. She flitted from bolt to bolt examining every bit of cloth like it was made of pure gold, or something more valuable. Red hues and shades of blue all combined in her head for the most amazing outfits.

Her father could only sigh as he shared a small cup of tea with the mistress of the store. Like so many others, it was a family business, but the woman who ran this place did not hold him in any open hostility. "The tea is wonderful," he said politely. He turned his attention to Midori, who had violated the personal space of the son of the woman beside him. "Midori, behave."

"But he won't let me in the back, daddy!"

"And I'm tellin' yah! Ma says no one's allowed back there except family!"

"Kanji, I think we can let her go. You will be careful, won't you, Midori dear?"

"Yes, Ma'am!" Midori bowed, using as polite a term as she could get away with. She then looked up at the blonde man's eyes, pleading with him with their intensity to let her into that sanctum of greatness.

"Ma!" Kanji tried to object, but found that his pleas would fall on deaf ears. He saw that his mother was already winding her fingers around this girl, getting ready to test her skills with the needle and thread, much as she had trained him when he was younger. But the way she talked about the details of everything, he recognized as being right. She had confidence in her skills, which only drove him to private shame. Resigned, he led her into the back dry room where they kept the good stuff.

As she browsed, she hummed to herself. Then she spoke while running a hand along some silk, getting a feel for the weave of the cloth. "You sew." It wasn't a question, just a simple statement of fact.

Kanji refused to answer, finding a small spider-web up in a corner that wasn't there last week. He added that too the list of things to do once the shop closed up for the day.

But the girl didn't take the hint. "You have to, working here."

"Ma does all the work." He replied, trying to avoid the question she was really asking. He knew he wasn't the smartest person in town, but he knew how to be defensive. "You done?"

Midori stood straight. "Look, I'm going to be coming here. A lot. And spending money on this stuff. I have no idea how your mother is getting her hands on this, but a shop like this in Tokyo would cost me easily three times as much." She spun on her heel to face him, and it was only with the force of presence that came from being huge did he stand his ground. "So, I can either talk to you, or to her."

"Then talk to Ma," Kanji replied, glad he could get that out of the way. "She runs the place. I'm just the muscle."

"No, you aren't." Midori didn't move, but she seemed to grow, just a little. "I saw your hands."

He hid them behind his back, a guilty move if there ever was one. "So what?"

"So, if I know what you know, I can know if I can ask you a question, or if I have to go talk to your mother directly."

He knew that she was digging. Her actions reminded him of one of those foxes on those shows. Just circling around, thinking they can catch their prey. It was like she already knew his secret and wanted him to admit it. Why couldn't she just stop? "Then talk to Ma. I'm sure she'd love having to chat with someone who wasn't one of the usual crowd."

"Oh, I'll be usual." Midori spun around again then kneeled to examine another type of cloth. This time, some wool that Kanji remembered was imported from... New Zealand. Yep, that's the stuff. "But I think it would be better talking to someone closer to my age."

Kanji wanted to slap his face. She though he was older! It was a common mistake for people new in town, which was pretty obvious. Someone with hair like that would be well known if she had grown up around Yasoinaba. Not like the new Shrine Maiden. Still, she was in the Yasogami uniform, and he would go there next year, so she pretty much was his age when compared to his Ma's usual clientèle.

And who knew? Maybe having someone in his future school who knew him might not be a bad idea? "I do a little bit of work," he finally admitted after many minutes of consideration and thought. "Nothing serious, you know? It ain't something that a guy should be serious about...?" His voice trailed off as he saw the grin on the girl's face.

He was doomed.

**Central Shopping District**

Mamoru stopped on the sidewalk, careful to not interrupt the flow of traffic. "Midori?"

"Yes, daddy?" She stopped and looked at him, honestly wondering why he had his serious face on.

"The next time you go into that shop, you are going to apologize to that young man."

"Wha..?" That, she was not expecting!

"I saw how you harassed him, and I did _not_ raise you like that." He kept his eyes focused on the distant hills, and refused to meet his daughter's face. "I understand that you are looking for someone to 'talk shop' with, but how you treated young Kanji was inappropriate."

"Yes, daddy." Midori's voice fell.

Confident that she would take the lesson to heart, he rubbed her head affectionately. "Just don't do it again." He gestured down a little bit. "Shrine next?"

"I'd rather wait." Ever since Tokyo, he had noticed that his daughter had developed a slight aversion to holy places. Not the places themselves, but rather, it seemed, like to the spirits of the nation. It was extremely subtle, given how little he had seen of her in the past six months, but it was there. Nor was he about to pry.

"Alright. Let's see... Tofu place or the BBQ?"

**Tatsuhime Shrine**

The place was nearly empty, which Midori was thankful for. There was a sense about this place that she didn't like, like there was something watching her from the shadows. But still, Daddy had chosen to have their picnic here, and she couldn't deny him. The coolness of the greenery would do nice after the heat coming from the metal works as the Old Man there had talked with her daddy about stuff that she didn't care to listen in on.

Setting out the blanket, they ignored and were ignored by others in the shrine. It looked old and decrepit at first glance, but a closer look would show that someone had started to clean up the stones and do basic repairs.

Unconcerned about that, they ate and talked casually. Once the food was done, and the basket repacked, Mamoru announced his intention to pray at the shrine, and maybe make a donation. Midori bit back her first response, and simply nodded. "I'll wait by the entrance."

Her daddy accepted that with grace, leaving her with the basket while he went to the shrine directly.

As she waited for him to make his offerings, Midori felt and heard someone come up behind her. She stepped to one side, allowing the person to pass her by, when out of the corner of her eye, she saw the traditional robes of a Miko. Reflexively, she bowed. "Hello."

"M... Midori? You... you shouldn't be here. Why are you here?"

Looking up, the former Demon Tamer was shocked. "Amane-chan?"

The former Shomonkai High Priestess looked around in fear before grabbing Midori by the shoulders and pulling her out of sight of the street. "What are you doing here?" She demanded, just a little touch of fear in her voice.

Midori didn't understand as she looked into the other girl's eyes. "What do you mean? I moved here. With Daddy!" She waved with one hand at the shrine, where the man in question was making his prayers.

"Don't toy with me! I was told I would be hidden!"

Having enough of this one-sided conversation, Midori easily broke the purple-haired girl's grip. "What. Are. You. Talking. About?"

"I have to call them, let them know I've been found." Amane didn't pay any attention to Midori, who in turn was looking up and down at her.

With her hair down and tied back, and in the red and white of a more traditional priestess garb, rather than the Shomonkai Orange with the long sleeves, at a glance, she wouldn't have been able to guess that the person in front of her was the same as the one she met for a couple days back in Tokyo.

But Amane was muttering to herself, worry and fear evident in her actions. Midori reached out to her. "What's going on? Are they still after you?"

But she wasn't listening. Amane started backing up toward the entrance to the shrine when she was stopped by a sharp "YIP!" from the stone barrier. The sound was enough to get both girl's attention directed to the fox that sat on the wall, a bandanna tied around its neck.

Just seeing it, Midori recognized a spirit when she saw one. She lunched at Amane, and with one hand, pushed her away from the spirit, while her other hand dipped into her purse, past her COMP, and grabbed at Frosty's Card. If she had to get into a fight with a Demon, she had a good weapon. There was no time for doubt about how her Persona would or would not work in the real world.

"No!" Amane said, directing it past Midori at the Fox, who made no move to come closer. "She's here, and that means I have to leave!"

The fox tilted its head, Midori certain that it was somehow talking to Amane over her head. She would have none of that. "HEY!" She said loudly, hoping to get her father's attention at the same time. "Leave her alone!" Midori moved to interpose herself between the Fox and Amane. It would have to go through her first!

The fox yipped again, this time directed at Midori. And she was [i]certain[/i] it tried to tell her that this was a private conversation. Amane apparently got a different message. "But I was told..!" Her complain was stopped by another sound, this more of a bark. Midori spared a glance back at the shrine and saw her father still praying. What was he doing?

"Listen, Demon," she decided to go with the biggest threat she could. "If you don't stop, I'm going to summon the King of Bel, and you'll have to answer to _him_!"

The fox looked at Midori, and decided to call her bluff.

"YIP!"

"Prove it!" She gripped Frosty's card hard, before remembering she had a better weapon to start with. Her COMP. All she had to do was turn it on, and the Demon would go away.

The Fox sat down on the stone wall, and began to lick it's paw, completely ignoring Midori's threat as a non issue. Amane was still behind her, speaking. "But if she's here, how long before someone else?"

Glaring at her the Fox paused in its self-cleaning. She's not the first. She has a good heart. The Fox made a show of looking down at Midori's purse. And she has power.

Midori narrowed her eyes, and decided to ramp up her threats with a half-truth. "Yes. Black Frost. Know him? Big Demon? My friend? Comes when I call?"

The Fox almost seemed to roll its eyes.

Amane relaxed, just a little. Then tensed up again as she realized what Midori was threatening. "You mustn't!"

She spared a glance for the Priestess behind her. "Don't worry, I've got this under control."

The Fox seemed to sigh, though it barked at the same time. My priest does not need protection from me.

Midori had enough. She was ready for a fight. Anger building, she planned out her next actions, if only so she could get to the battle faster. Activate the Comp. Summon Frosty. Kill the fox. A simple plan, then she could deal with the fallout later.

"ENOUGH!" Amane hissed into her ear. "No one is fighting!" She remembered how easy it was for the girl in front of her to charge into battle, and didn't want things to get worse. "The Fox isn't a Demon! And if you start something, everything I've worked for is thrown away!"

Midori paused, one wary eye on the spirit. "What are you talking about?" she asked Amane. "What's going on?"

"Midori!" Mamoru called out from the shrine. "Is everything all right?"

She spared a look at her daddy, who was still standing beside the small shrine. Then back to the Fox, who had vanished. It's presence was gone. She had convinced it to go away. "Nothing daddy! Just a fox."

Amane turned to look at the man Midori called father. "Greetings," she said, bowing properly due to her position. "I am Amane-miko, and I care for this shrine. Your daughter," there was only a slight hesitation in the word, "was attempting to protect me from the shrine's fox." She glared at Midori sharing the thought that they were not done.

"That's my girl," Mamoru bowed. "She's the kind of person to jump in at the first sign of trouble."

Amane returned the polite gesture. "I understand. If you don't mind, I would like to borrow her for a few minutes then, so tell her some things that will prevent such... misunderstandings in the future."

Mamoru looked between the two. "Of course. I'll be in the bookstore, Midori." He waved, and left the shrine grounds.

The two turned on each other, politeness gone.

"Why are you here?"

"What is that thing?"

"You first!" Amane declared, calling upon her skills at leading a cult to force Midori to her will.

"That thing is dangerous!" Midori ignored that, and challenged Amane directly.

A moments inspiration led to Amane making a breakthrough. "Your story first, it will be shorter. Then mine."

Finding the deal acceptable, Midori gave all the details that were needed. "After August, I was moved to Tatsumi Port Island to attend Gekkoukan High as my other school had closed for a while. My daddy got a promotion that meant he had to move to Yasoinaba, and I joined him here last week, after the school year had finished. Done!"

Amane knew there was more to her story than that. There had to be. It was not a coincidence that she was here, and the Fox was being cagey again. But Midori had upheld her end of the deal, however thinly, so it was her turn. "I'm in Protective Services," she said quietly. "To hide me from my father's remaining followers. I was sent here to keep a low profile, and was given the responsibility of looking after the shrine by the fox."

Midori's eyes narrowed. "We need to talk later."

"Yes, we do."

"I'll come back this evening? Say, after 9?"

"That will do."

The two went their separate ways, knowing there would be another confrontation.

**Tokyo, Classified SDF Facility  
><strong>**Afternoon****  
><strong>

Lt. Izuna put down the phone, groaned, the picked it up again. A moment later, the dialling was done, and she was connected to her superior. "Captain Fushimi, we may have a problem."

The Captain's voice was harsh given the nature of their job. "Explain."

"The Rabbit may be compromised. I'm headed over there now to investigate."

Fushimi knew better than to double-guess his subordinate. "Report back when you have more information."

"Of course, sir."

**Tatsuhime Shrine  
><strong>**Evening****  
><strong>

Midori was on edge. She had made her apologies to her daddy, then stepped out. In a protected pocket was her COMP, already active. In another was Frosty's card. She didn't want to over play her ability just yet, so she kept the Persona in reserve, hoping that it would help. She also had her trusty weapon hidden under the loop of her skirt.

It was dark outside, only one side of the street had the overhead lights on. Standing in the middle of one of the spotlights, she glared at the dark and near-imposing gate that led into the temple grounds.

She couldn't shake the feeling she was walking into a trap. She should have called Abel. She really should have, but she had to handle this herself. Thinking back, Amane and her didn't really get the chance to talk on that last day, though she was completely proud of her and Black Frost's work to save her from Jezebel and the burning tree.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she used that as justification for her actions. She had saved the Shomonkai Priestess before, and she knew she could do it again. Another pat down to assure her that in the past few moments nothing had disappeared, then she checked her watch.

Time.

With a spring in her step, Midori crossed the road and entered the sanctified grounds. Even in the darkness, it was easy to see where Amane was. The purple-haired woman stood in front of the shrine in more casual clothes, the Fox curled up on top of the donation box. As she crossed the threshold, the fox perked its ears in her direction, then settled into ignoring her.

"Komaki Midori," Amane greeted her formally. "I cannot say that this is still pleasant. Had I my way, I would have left already."

"As long as you get away from the Demon, I'm alright with that," Midori commented, keeping her gaze firmly on the Fox. "So, want to explain how this all happened before I beat it up?" She drew her club, one bought from the metalworker down the street earlier in the day. Her real weapon was in Mitsuru's hands, but there was no way she was going to ask her about that yet – or at all about the existence of Demons.

"You are not going to attack the Fox," Amane shot back without looking at either party. "But if you must know..."

"I do," Midori affirmed.

"Very well then." The priestess sighed, collecting her thoughts. "In September, I had been placed in protective custody with the SDF. The people in charge had decided that I was not culpable for my actions, and needed to be protected. Though I suspect some of them sought to manipulate me for their purposes. By January, it was decided that I needed to be moved to a secret location for further protection. Yasoinaba was chosen, and I moved here."

She smiled, the memories bringing some measure of mirth to her life. "As I adapted to this new town, I came to this old shrine. It was mostly abandoned and run down so I too it upon my self to clean it up." She turned to Midori. "My father wasn't so mad that he made my training as fake as his cult. I am a qualified priest. The locals found out about my actions, and there was some discussion over whether or not I should take the post officially."

The Fox yawned, bored with the story. It already knew all the details. "The conversation was halted when the Fox here came into the meeting, and sat down on the table of the Shopping District Business Association and just... well, the Fox glared at everyone, and no one objected any further."

"Nice," Midori agreed. "So, now do I get to beat up the Demon?"

Amane shook her head. "The Fox is not a Demon."

"Yes!" Midori thought the statement so obviously true that it didn't need a qualifier. "Step to one side and we can get this started. We fight, I win, you're free, maybe we get some ice cream. Except I think that place is closed for the night."

"The Fox is a land spirit, Midori. Not a demon."

"And angels are demons with a different name," Midori shot back. "They're all the same."

"Except," Amane tried to explain, "that Angels and Demons come from outside the realm of Earth. Spirits like the Fox were born here, and are native to this world."

The words rolled over Midori like a wave. "Huh?"

"The Fox is as natural as you or I," Amane said. "It is as real as the wind, the trees, the stores behind you, as real as emotion and ideas. It is not from somewhere else, nor is it an invader."

That confused the Magical Girl of Love and Justice. "But..! It's a demon!"

"And you've had your COMP active the entire time, have you not?"

Midori nodded, not trusting the Fox to reveal where she kept it. "Of course."

"And the Fox is still here."

"Yes?"

"So, therefore, it is not a Demon under the command of Bel."

"It could be an Angel in disguise!"

The Fox snapped it's head around, indignant at the nature of the accusation. "As you can see," Amane said, "it is not something to be hostile toward."

Midori ran this information over in her head. Demons? From Hell. Check. Angels? From Heaven. Check. Fox? From Earth? Uhhhh...

"So do I get to beat it up or not?" Midori asked, her determination wavering. More than anything else, it was the acceptance she saw in Amane's eyes. She saw that she believed that the Fox wasn't something out to manipulate or use Amane, much like Jezebel or to a lesser extent, Remiel had. She could interact with it as something approaching an equal.

"No."

Midori was defeated. "But... what do I tell people?"

"Nothing," Amane said carefully. "The townspeople know of the Fox, and they know that it has... hired me to be the shrine maiden here. And outsiders only see a wild animal that lives on the grounds, not a spirit."

"So, they're alright with it being here?" Midori put away her weapon, trusting in her friend. "The Fox?"

"Of course," Amane relaxed just a little. "It's been here for generations. Sensei?"

"Well, I think we can trust Midori to be quiet," Mari said as she stepped out of the shadows, her physicians coat trailing behind her, not quite in the dirt. "Won't we, Midori-chan?"

"Mari-sensei!" Midori faced her and bowed deeply. "I didn't see you there!"

"Don't worry, I was hiding." The Doctor looked over at Amane. "Well? We good?"

"We're good," the Priestess agreed.

"Wait!" Midori stood up straight. "What are you doing here?"

"Officially?" Mari replied, "I'm here as part of a national program to put doctors into rural hospitals in order to stave off the drain of skill to cities." She shrugged. "It's actually quite fun. What are you doing here?"

"My daddy moved here with his job – which is totally not with Junes," she immediately clarified. "Did you know about her?" Midori pointed at Amane, who huffed.

"Of course. We share an apartment on the south end of town."

And then Midori's brain gave up. "Fine!" She said, throwing up her hands. "Demons can be friends too! I know that, but this just completely took me by surprise!"

Mari smiled gently at the girl who helped her out during that week. "It was surprising to us too, and believe me, we talked to Abel about it, and he approved."

"He did?" Midori wasn't surprised someone else talked to the King. She didn't have a monopoly on his time after all.

"Of course. Now, why don't we all get out of the darkness and get something to eat? My treat." The doctor offered a gesture of peace, which Midori considered.

"I have to call some friends from my previous school tonight," she admitted. "Maybe next week?"

"Sure."

**Central Shopping District**

Morooka paced the street in the evening, on the look out for improper behaviour from his students. Thankfully, there were none to be found. But as he reached the turn to the top of the hill, he saw three people emerge from the Shrine. Spinning around he readied his best lectures when they fell away from his tongue. His prized student was walking with the miko, as well as one of the doctors from the hospital. They appeared to be chatting politely, nothing out of the ordinary.

So he let them go, content that his prize was doing her best to be an upstanding member of the community by getting to know the important people.

**Komaki Household**

"Aigis!" Midori talked into the phone as she pulled off her jacket. "I'm sorry I'm late in calling you!"

"You are forgiven," her blond friend replied from Tatsumi Port Island. "How are you settling in?"

"Ihaveahouseohmygoodnessohmygoodnessohmygoodness!Ithasafrontdoorandstairsandmultiplebedroomsanditssohuge!" She gasped to catch her breath after her eager declaration.

"I am aware," Aigis replied. "I voted in your poll. I think you should show off your home first."

"That seems to be the most popular option," Midori agreed, putting aside thoughts of Dolly for now. "How are things on your end? Rio not being mean is she?"

"No, the Captain is not being harsh in her treatment of me." Aigis considered what she could talk about given that she was not allowed to speak of Junpei and Chidori at the moment. They had made it clear that they were to talk to Midori directly. "Mitsuru would like to know when you are planning on resuming your experiments in keeping Black Frost active in the real world?"

Midori groaned on the inside. "When I want to. I'm still adjusting, and don't want to deal with that right now."

"She will be displeased."

"Well, if she's upset, she can come down here and complain to me directly!" Midori said with a bit more anger than she intended. "Sorry, Aigis. I didn't mean to be angry with you."

"Forgiven."

"So, what to talk about next? How's the dorm?"

"Being demolished as we speak."


	3. 11 April 2010 to 17 April 2010

**11 April 2010  
><strong>**Tatsuhime Shrine  
><strong>**Morning**

"You sure about this?" Izuma asked of Amane as they reposed in the shade. "We can still move you, no problems."

"It's Midori," Amane said again. "I would be more worried about Kaido than her."

"I will still have to report this. We were supposed to be alerted to a move like that, and at the very least someone didn't do the paperwork." The Lieutenant looked around. "How about you? Isn't 'Shrine Maiden' a little close for comfort?"

"There is a difference between summoning demons in a tower and maintaining a shrine with the help of the local businesses."

"I know that, but you do need to get out more."

"Yasoinaba is a small town, there isn't a lot of 'out' to go to."

Izuma laughed at that. "Fair enough. I'll go have a chat with our little Idol, then go back to Tokyo. If there's any issues, let us know."

**Komaki Residence  
><strong>**Afternoon**

The doorbell rang. "One moment!" Midori called out as she looked up from her homework. Setting down the book of math problems, she walked to the front door. "Who is it?"

"Lt. Izuma," the SDF officer announced from outside. "Can I come in?"

Midori went from a walk to a run in order to open the door faster. "Izuma-chan! Welcome! I have a house!" She stepped back to allow the uniformed woman in. "What brings you here?"

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Midori knew what business brought the older woman to her. But she already made the invitation, and there was no taking that back.

The two of them made their way in silence toward the living room, where Midori cleared the homework off. "Can I get you some tea?" She offered, the polite hostess.

"No, thank you." Izuma made herself comfortable. "Now, we have a problem."

"I WON'T TELL ANYONE! I SWEAR!" Midori bowed as much as she could, offering her sincerest promises to never reveal any secret.

"That's not what I'm here about. I already talked to them, and they have agreed to let it slide." Izuma said to calm down the emotional girl. "Rather, there is something else we need to discuss."

Midori was confused. There was nothing to talk about. And her expression was clear on her face.

"You didn't file your paperwork to let us know you moved," Izmua gently chided.

"Yes I did!" Midori was instantly indignant. "Mitsuru-sempai double checked every last bit of paperwork before I left," she left unsaid her opinion about being watched over like that. "And everything was properly filed!"

"Then why don't we have that record?"

"Slow mail?" It was a feeble excuse, they both knew. But it was just that. Izuma sighed.

"Fine, we'll check things again on our end. No more trouble for you." The officer looked around. "Nice place. So, got a boyfriend yet?"

**Evening**

Steadying herself, Midori looked at the phone on the wall. There was no way around this, and while she really wanted to put this off thanks to everything that had happened yesterday and today, she knew that she couldn't give up on her friends.

So she picked it up and dialed a number. After a moment, it was picked up, the familiar sounds of being on a speaker on the other end coming to her. "Hello Junpei. Hello Chidori. How are things?"

**14 April 2010  
><strong>**Yasogami High School, Class 2-2  
><strong>**Lunchtime**

Being introduced to Saki meant getting to know her friends as well, and Midori made sure she was nice and polite to them, making sure that they knew she wasn't really an 'enemy'. That the existence of Junes was so reviled was something she had no experience in, and her normal morality gave her no clues how to proceed, so she defaulted to just being friendly.

And actually making friends her age was still a novel enough concept that she was honestly perky and happy at the experience!

Kanoko's parents worked in some of the greenhouses that were just outside town, while Sawa's family did... something or other. Midori must have missed that point in the conversation, and chalked it up as something to find out through experience later. The four of them quickly settled around their joint tables and were eating and chatting about the school work. The others questioned Midori about her previous School, and for Midori, the differences between Gekkoukan and Yasogami were massive, and she didn't want to insult her new school at all.

So she lied through her teeth.

Conversation was temporarily halted when the door to the classroom was opened with far more force than necessary. The quartet paused as a brown haired boy poked his head in, the shades of some others standing behind him. They pushed him into the class as she locked his eyes on the four. Or rather one in particular.

Midori knew exactly what was coming, and prepared her response. Schooling herself, she put on the mask that the boy wanted to see, and waited for his approach.

Hesitant, he did, ignoring the other three for Midori. He pulled a small envelope out his pocket and bowed as he offered it to Midori. "Please be my girlfriend!" His plea was deep.

"No." Midori replied, not looking at the envelope. "I don't even know your name, so why would I want to go out with you?"

She was harsh, she knew. And she probably channelled a little too much of Mitsuru for her own good. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm trying to have lunch with my friends." She turned away dismissively, and locked her eyes on the windows showing the outside until she heard the boy leave and the door close.

_Then_ she let her head hit her desk. "Oh great, my first admirer." She groaned as she chose to bump her head against the wood grain again and again. "Couldn't they have at least waited until May?"

Saki frowned. "You would think they would put a note in your locker first, or something."

Kanako had to disagree. "I have a boyfriend," the only one of the three who did, "and being up front about it is a good thing. Why did you reject him, Midori?"

"I don't know his name," Midori repeated. "He didn't introduce himself, or anything. Just came up and demanded."

"Asked," Sawa corrected as she blew on her soup a little. "He's... Tawagawa, from 3-1?"

"Oooh! Older men!" Kanako teased Midori, who simply bumped her head again. "Maybe once you've picked one, we can do on a double-date!"

"Sure," Midori finally countered. "I'll do that when you sign up for the Tennis club."

Kanako thought about it. "Still trying to find people for that? You're up to, what... yourself, still?"

Midori nodded. "Need at least five before I can get a teacher adviser, then there's still all the paperwork involved."

"Why don't you join a club instead? Like Lacross?" Kanako was on that team, and bringing in Midori would be a coup amongst her peers there. The new girl was highly sought after.

Unknowing of that, Midori shook her head. "No. I like Tennis, and I'm good at it." That the skills synergized well with Demon and Shadow busting were nice, but not required. "Saki? How about you?"

Called upon, Saki thought. "Maybe. Maybe not."

"You tease!" Midori said back, "Come on! Please!" She clapped her hands together and bowed in mock supplication. "Join the club! With two, we can get three, easy! Then four, then five!"

"Let me think about it." Saki didn't feel like giving in to the pressure of her new friend just yet. "So, are you coming over tonight? Apparently your dad made a good impression with my dad, and he wants you over again for supper, what with your dad out of town."

Midori narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Are you sure this isn't just so he can use me to help clean up again?"

"May... be?" Saki refused to give an honest answer.

**15 April 2010  
><strong>**Samegawa Flood Plain  
><strong>**After School**

Midori hopped out of the rain into one of the shelters that lined the long riverbank that lay between her school and her home. There was enough of a wind to cause the rain to slash below her umbrella, even when she held it to act as a good shield to get down to the bottoms of her stockings and her shoes. "Damn, damn, damn!" she muttered to herself as another gust of wind tore through the valley, sending water near-horizontal for a split second. "No one said anything about this!"

She did check the weather reports, honestly! But this was not predicted at all. Turning to face the vague direction of the Central Shopping District and the spirit housed within, she yelled into the storm, "Really? Really? If this is your doing, _I hope you're miserable_!"

Vaguely satisfied with herself, she set about making sure her bag wasn't too wet, nor the contents. Thankfully, her daddy got her a good solid one, so that wasn't going to be an issue. Finding a dry spot, she began to wring out the hem of her skirt, thankful that tomorrow was laundry day. She would still hang-dry them either in the living room or her work room, but that was a thing for later. Once she got home.

Out of the rain.

"COME ON YUKIKO!" A voice called out from outside the shelter, causing Midori to look up. She could see two figures rushing to the shelter she was in, which wasn't surprising considering the distance between them.

"Over here!" She called out, waving a hand to draw their attention, "It's still dry!"

Two girls burst out of the rain and into the hazy protection offered by the wood and stone. They bent over, catching their breath while Midori watched them carefully. They were both soaked, having gone farther in the rain than she had. "You two alright?"

"Fine, fine..." The girl with the brown hair and the most assuredly not-regulation green jacket looked at her friend in the crimson jacket. "Hey, Yukiko?"

"I'm fine," Yukiko replied. "Just wet."

"Take off your jackets then," Midori commanded, pointing to her own. "Lay them out to dry. You don't want to catch a cold."

"Sure," green-jacket said as she pulled it up over her shoulders. "Man, the lady on TV said nuthin' about this."

"No, she did not," Yukiko agreed as she removed her soaked covering. "But such things do happen."

"Right, right. Hey, thanks for sharing with us...," green-jacket said as she finally turned to face their shelter-friend. "Oh. You. The new girl."

Midori was surprised. "Me? My name is Komaki Midori, not 'new girl'."

"Amagi Yukiko," the other girl said, bowing politely. "This is my friend, Satonaka Chie."

"Right, whatever." It seemed this Chie didn't like Midori on sight for whatever reason, and the older girl simply didn't have the time or inclination to fix that at this moment. "This isn't like we're friends, or anything."

Midori nodded. They were just sharing shelter from the storm, nothing more.

**17 April 2010  
><strong>**Central Shopping District  
><strong>**Daytime**

"Satonaka?" Saki repeated as she and Midori grabbed a bit to eat.

"Yes. What does she have against me?" Midori had related the tale of her encounter with the two first-years to her friend, hoping for some advice regarding them. Or at least more information.

"Well, those two are pretty close from what I know. The Amagi Inn is pretty popular with out-of-towners, and it's pretty much the only business not being threatened by that place." Saki paused to sort out what she knew and what she had heard in rumours. "They're like sisters."

"Nice to know, but that doesn't explain anything."

"I know," Naoki said – the younger brother sneaking up behind his sister. "You want to know why Chie-chan doesn't like you?" He held out his hand. "It'll cost you."

"Naoki!" Saki angrily turned on her family. "That's not polite!"

"Well, she's rich, she can afford it! I want a meat bowl too." The boy made his demands clear, and Midori gave in. Truth be told, she could afford it. And it wasn't like this was a burden or anything. "Thanks!"

A couple minutes later, he pulled up a third chair to where the two girls were sitting. "So, what do you have for me?" Midori pried as Naoki made a show of cooling his food and preparing his chopsticks. "What's up with her?"

"It's not Chie that's the problem, it's actually her friend, Yukiko."

"What?" Midori was surprised. "She hasn't said or done anything!"

"It's complicated," Naoki took a mouthful, enjoying it. "Alright, Yukiko-san, she's like, the prettiest girl in the school," he took a moment to fend off the vengeful glare from Midori, "well, she _would have been_ except, for, well, you."

"Go on."

"So here Yukiko is, first year in high school, and everyone has expectations of her, you know, appearance, elegance, all that stuff, and all her classmates were ready to make her into, like, the school Princess or something like that."

Midori thought she could see where this is going. "But that doesn't explain Chie's actions."

"That's because Yukiko... well... she's got the looks, she's got the grades, she's nice and polite to everyone, and honestly, if it was just the two of you, there would be no problems. But Chie, she gets it into her head that because you're here, a grade older, with your hair, and that you've got the King Moron under your heel, everyone is paying attention to you instead."

Midori was surprised. "Why does everyone keep thinking I'm controlling Morooka-sensei?"

"How about you're the only student who calls him that?" Saki threw the jibe at her friend, who caught it with aplomb. "No, seriously, he hates everyone except you. You blackmailing him, or something?"

"WHAT? NO! Stop saying that! I'm just a good student, and yes, I've seen how rough around the edges he is, that still doesn't give me, or anyone the right to insult him like that!" Midori was on the defensive, unfamiliar ground. "Back to Chie and Yukiko, please."

"Right, so it's like this," Naoki said, "Chie's sorta like Yukiko's knight, her social guardian, right? So here you are, threatening what Chie thinks her friend should be, and so she's hostile to you for it."

"Really? That's the reason?" Midori shook her head. "That's stupid. I'm no... _Queen_." Although, thinking about it, would that be so bad? Back in Tokyo, she had too much baggage from her upbringing to properly socialize. And for her short stay in Gekkoukan, she was overshadowed by Mitsuru and Yukari in her dorm alone, so she hadn't tried to exert herself too much out of her class.

But here? New school, new faces, no end-of-the-world to deal with, why shouldn't she try? Why couldn't she be someone she always wanted to be, but never could be?

"Well," Naoki kept talking, not aware of Midori's internal line of reasoning, "It's not like it's going to be a big thing. She keeps pushing Yukiko to be more proactive, and looking for you to screw up." He shrugged. "But if you want me to spy on those two for you, it'll cost you more food."

"Let me think about that."

**16 April 2010  
><strong>**Komaki Household  
><strong>**Daytime**

"So, how's lunchtime coming along?" Midori spoke aloud, letting the speakerphone work its technological miracles. She was mutlitasking, working on homework with one thought, keeping Frosty up and around with other thoughts, and chatting with Junpei and Chidori with more thoughts.

"Good," Junpei said. "Your idea worked, but we're still hammering out the details." Midori had suggested the week previously that in the face of Chidori's innocent insistence that she eat her lunch with Junpei, no matter the situation, that they work out some form of schedule where one would go to the other's classroom in alternating measure, and use the front lawn of the school when weather and timing permitted.

"Yukari and the Tin Girl are... helping." Chidori admitted sourly. She had spent a lot of time out of 'normal' cultural circles, and while she knew she wanted to be with Junpei, that there needed to be a moderating influence annoyed her to no end.

"She has a name, Chidori," Junepi said to his girlfriend instead of into the speaker on their end. "It's Aigis."

"The Tin Girl is made of Tin," Chidori repeated. "And the club has accepted that as her nickname. The 'Tin Titan of Tennis'."

Only her conversation the night before with Aigis prevented Midori from jumping on that fact and demanding answers. Now that Aigis was back on the Tennis Club, she was proving her worth a thousand times over. It was not surprising that the combat-spec'd robot would perform better than most humans.

She was only waiting for the conversation where Aigis would start to wonder if she _should_ be so good at Tennis. While she was ready to open that line herself, Midori had decided that Aigis needed to approach her first.

Back to the present. "Don't harass Aigis, Chidori." Midori spoke sternly to her senior. "She needs friends as much as you do."

"I have Junpei." Chidori's reply was the be-all, end-all of her thoughts in that regard. "Now, what would you recommend for a date?"

Junepi sputtered and Midori was shocked enough that Frosty lost cohesion, returning to card form.

"Thanks for that," Midori grumbled as she re-smashed the Card and reset Frosty's existence. "Look, that's something you and Junpei should discuss. I'm not going to tell you what to do, or where to go, but I will listen to your ideas to analyze them." She looked out the window at the overcast sky, "Besides, dates should be a surprise. The joy of discovery and new things being more important that regulating them well ahead of time."

Chidori obviously didn't believe her. "If you say so."

"Of course I say so! I'm the magical girl, remember?"

"No, you're not. You just use that as an excuse to dress up and run around with a club and Frosty."

"Excuse me? And who has more experience with this sort of thing, you know, _being the hero_? Huh? You or me?"

"That does not deign a response."

In Tatsumi Port Island, Junpei buried his head in his hands. Here they go again.

**17 April 2010  
><strong>**Yaogami High School, Front Entrance  
><strong>**Morning**

Midori looked up at the school with new eyes. She had made her resolutions seriously, and now was the time to start moving on them. She was no longer the 'new girl'. She was going to have her Tennis Club. She was going to be 'Queen'. She was also going to be great friends with _everyone_, including Amane.

And nothing was going to stop her.


	4. 08 May 2010 to 16 May 2010

**08 May 2010  
><strong>**Komaki Residence  
><strong>**Evening**

Another week without her daddy. Midori was used to it, but it was still sad to know he was running around the prefecture on business trips all the time. At least she had ample opportunity to raise her cooking skill from 'Microwave' to 'can leave the kitchen while things cook'.

So she was setting out her small meal when the front door rang. Looking up in surprise, she tried to guess who it could be. Couldn't be Saki, or any of her other friends. Morooka-sensei didn't do house calls to check up on his students, Amane and Mari-sensei had promised they'd call ahead of time should they take her up one one of her many invitations to come over.

That left random boys from school who would profess his undying love for the Queen, and ask to be her boyfriend. Which, oddly enough, hadn't happened _yet_, though she knew it was only a matter of time.

Putting on her best face, she slipped up to the door to peek through the small hole. Who she saw was completely surprising, so much so that she slammed the door open without any warning and cried out joyfully "Akihiko-sensei!"

The man, now named bowed at the exuberant greeting. "Hello, Midori. Can I come in?"

"Please! Please!" Midori stepped back and invited her friend in. Once he was safely inside, she closed the door behind them. "Sorry for the mess," she bowed slightly then rushed ahead to clean things up for her guest. "I only made enough food for me, I wasn't expecting company."

"Your father isn't home?" Akihiko slipped out of his shoes as he heard Midori run around the kitchen, channelling her energy into being the best hostess she could be.

"No, business. Frosty!" Akihiko perked up as Midori invoked her Persona. "Take these to the table." He poked his head around the corner to see Midori's Persona carrying a plate, a cup and some cutlery slowly walk to the low table where her supper was already set. As he watched, the Persona reached the table, and set down the load with a clatter, then stopped.

It was why he was here, why he had to talk to her directly.

"I wasn't planning on being here for long," he said as he arranged the second place setting to one side. "If you have some tea?"

"Tea! Oh, sure!" Midori rummaged through the kitchen, her haste being her undoing in that regard. She dropped the tin of leaves, scattering the contents all over the floor. "Damn!"

"Relax, Midori." Akihiko said as he made his way to the kitchen. "Here, I'll clean that up."

"No! No! It's alright, I can handle this!"

"I know you can," he said smoothly. "But if you keep rushing, you're never going to get it done." He plucked the broom from her hands firmly and set himself to cleaning.

A few minutes later, they were both seated at the table. "I hope you weren't rained on," Midori said, now that she had calmed down a bit. "It's been all over the place lately."

"No, I'm alright." Akihiko replied. "So, how are you doing? We really haven't talked, so I get most of my information about you second hand from Aigis and Junpei."

"I'm doing well," Midori said. "My show is good, I'm popular at school, I'm training my team up, my grades are good, and I even help out at one of the local stores once or twice a week!"

"That's good to hear." Akihiko knew more than that, but he let her brag in her own way.

"So, what brings you down to Inaba?" Midori asked as she pointedly ignored her food. "Surely it isn't for the rain. Come to check out the Amagi Inn?"

"No, nothing like that." Akihiko shook his head. "Listen, I have a favour to ask of you. And only you." His tone shifted to the serious. "Will you listen?"

Midori nodded.

"I've been thinking about my future a bit," He said as he shifted around a little. "About our skills, and what I've promised to do." He paused, expecting Midori to jump in there, but she didn't. He was pleasantly surprised.

"I need more training," He admitted. It was a hard conclusion he had come to, but in the end he would be betraying himself and Shinji's memory if he didn't. He reached down into his folded up jacket and carefully removed his Evoker. "I want you to hold onto this for me," he asked as he set it down on the table.

Midori was stunned into silence, her mind refusing to think about what was happening. That is, until she could blurt out a single word. "Why?"

"Why? I asked myself that same question." He sighed. "I thought I was strong. I was wrong. Mianto was strong. Aigis is strong. You're strong. Even Fuuka is." Part of why he had come out here was to get away from most of the other Persona users, hoping that physical distance would help with the emotional one. "And I want to be stronger, lest I be left behind."

He tapped the Evoker. "I want to give this to you, as a promise to myself. I want to train to become better, stronger. Not just as a fighter, but as a Persona user." Akihiko pointed at Frosty. "I want to do that. You can, and I know your skills aren't unique. You hold my Evoker, and everytime I fall back, try to reach for it, I want to remember that I don't have it. That someone who is stronger than I does, and that I need to be better to match her."

He could see that this was too much for her. That she understood on an emotional level what he was asking, but that the situation was so far off her normal scale that he needed to give her time. "And before you object, you're the only person I could ask. Everyone else is too involved with Mitsuru's Shadow Hunters."

Midori nodded again. "Alright," she said, some light coming back into her eyes. "I'll hold onto it for you." He wanted training. That was alright. She could work with that. Looking down at the Evoker, she auto-piloted her way through the rest of the conversation, and after she saw Akihiko to the door, returned to the table.

She wasn't hungry any more.

**Samegawa Flood Plain  
><strong>**Evening**

Akihiko was worried he had made a mistake. He hadn't expected Midori to shut him out like that. And now, as he walked along the soft grass of the riverbank, he tried to figure out why.

At first, he thought she was rejecting the idea of Personas. Which would be a normal reaction to nearly a year of constant battles and loss. But that didn't work out, given how she was still active with her Black Frost. She was still comfortable around them. Thinking a bit closer, he considered the possibility that he had simply dumped his request on her with no warning, and no preparation.

That did seem most likely. He would have to go back and apologize. Profusely. He had thought of her too much as a reliable partner, and not enough as a friend first. It was a poor decision on his part, and he could just hear Shinji chuckling at him for messing up with a girl.

Spinning around on his heel, he started to walk back to Midori's place with new purpose and confidence.

**Same Place**

Chie kicked a small pebble off the path. That _new girl_ had gotten more and more popular with each passing day! There were already some of the more impressionable first years calling her the 'Queen' behind her back.

And Yukiko did nothing! She couldn't understand why she should do something! Everyone should see her, and not some foreign girl with the wild hair! She had no _right_ to do that!

She looked up, her senses telling her someone was coming her way. She stepped to one side to allow him to pass before her eyes caught up and told her just who had walked past her.

It was _Akihiko Sanada_ himself. The best High School martial artist this past year. And he was... He was...

"Sanada-sempai!" She cried out, bowing formally. "Welcome to Yasoinaba!"

The older man stopped and turned around. To her eyes, it was the artistic motion of a man who has honed his body to perfection. "Yes. Do I know you?"

She bowed again. "No sir! I am Satonaka Chie! I am a fan!"

"Huh." He said quietly. "I didn't think about that." He bowed to her. Akihiko Sanada bowed to her! That was amazing! "Thank you for the greeting." He stood up and looked to the sky. "I need to get moving. Have a good evening."

Ohgodohgodohgodhewaswalkingawaydosomethingdon'tjuststandthere! "I challenge you!" Chie said loudly. "I'm the best in town, and I just can't let this opportunity pass me by!" She started to hop back and forth, eager for the chance to cross blows with the one and only Akihiko Sanada, even as she knew she was going to lose, and lose hard.

"No."

"What? But! But!"

He sighed. "I don't wander around looking for random fights, Chie-chan."

"Then why are you here?" Her mouth was faster than her brain, and she instantly regretted prying into his personal life like that.

"Oh? I'm here to see a... student of mine. I erred, and now I am off to apologize."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Chie said as she relaxed her stance. A student of Akihiko Sanada, here in Inaba? Impossible! "Who is it? I could show you to their place!"

"That won't be necessary," Akihiko replied. "I know where they live." He turned to leave. "Thank you for the offer though."

"You're welcome!" Forget that girl, this was way too important! Chie waited for him to walk away, then began to follow him from a distance. She had to know who this student was, so she could get training herself!

**Near Komaki Residence**

Chie watched with stunned disbelief as _that girl_ answered the door. At first she thought that maybe Akihiko Sanada was there to see her brother, but then he _bowed to her_. That _she_ was his student! And she bowed back, accepting the apology just like that!

She chewed on her lip as she took in this turn of events. On one hand, she had the 2nd year who was taking over the school, and was thus someone she needed to oppose for Yukiko's sake. But on the other hand, she also knew the great Akihiko Sanada!

This paradox refused to resolve itself, and that left only one thing to do.

**09 May 2010  
><strong>**Samegawa Flood Plain  
><strong>**After School**

"I challenge you!"

"What." Midori didn't have time for this, though she supposed that having the Satonaka girl finally do something rash in the defence of her friend from a non-existant threat was bound to happen sooner or later. "Why would you do that?" It was best to clear the air, even as she watched the girl hop up and down. Inside, she frowned. This was a human, so she couldn't use Frosty or her club. She'd have to fight with her daddy's tricks.

But she didn't want to fight at all!

"You're the student of Akihiko Sanada-sama! When I beat you, I can challenge him!"

"Oh, so you're the one who was following him last night," she said, putting one finger to her chin in mock thought. "You were quite sloppy."

"I don't care!"

"Then the answer is no." She bowed politely. "I reject your challenge."

"You can't do that!" Chie nearly shouted, thankful she had left Yukiko behind for this.

"You don't want to fight me because I'm some sort of gateway to Akihiko-san," she let her more casual use of his name drip from her tongue like poison. "You want to because you want to put me in my place, right?" She put down her bag and held her hands behind her. She had an option to get out of this, but it depended on there being no one behind her.

"So what?"

Midori focused and summoned Frosty behind her, trusting in her body to cover up the existence of the Persona. She knew that people could sense the 'demonic' aura of him, though she never could, so maybe this girl would feel it?

She did, if her hesitation was anything to go by. "What...?"

Midori smiled. Then advanced a half step. "Chie Satonaka. I am not your enemy. I am not the enemy of Yukiko Amagi either. You don't have to fight me."

It was working. She had no idea how, or why, but it was working!

"You can fight me, but if you do, you already know you're going to lose. So why?" Another step, and Chie gave ground. "Or, you can stop this nonsense. We can be friends some day, and I can teach you a little bit so you can go challenge Akihiko someday?" She dismissed Frosty, and the aura went away. "Deal?"

**10 May 2010  
><strong>**Yasogami High School  
><strong>**Morning**

Chie bowed politely to her senior. "Good morning, Midori-sempai!" At her side, Yukiko bowed too, as was polite when greeting your elders.

And just like that, Yasogami High had a Queen and a Princess.

**15 May 2014  
><strong>**Tatsumi Port Island, Kirijo Research Facility  
><strong>**Evening**

Aigis held the phone away from her ear as her friend started to exuberantly complain about the information she had given her. "What do you mean he's left?"

"Just what I said," Aigis carefully moderated her voice to avoid yelling. Mitsuru was within hearing distance, and she did not want to act improperly. "Akihiko has taken a leave of absence while Mitsuru-sempai continues to organize the Hunters. He said it was for training. I suspect that you are the last person who has actually talked to him." She repeated herself in case Midori didn't get all the connotations the first time.

"I know that! And he didn't take a cell phone with him? Who does he think he is? Ryu?" Midori grumbled on her end. "Look, _when_ he gets in contact with you, tell him he needs to talk to me right away!"

"Why?" Aigis asked as Mitsuru passed her some papers that needed signing. Who knew forging a life would take so much work?

"Because there's a girl in town who is only being nice to me because she's a fan of his, and I know him. And nothing I can think of will work to keep this from exploding in my face!"

The robot considered just how much of that could actually be Midori's fault, and not this mysterious girl's, or Akihiko's responsibility. But she wisely didn't say anything along those lines. "I will keep that in mind, but once again, we don't know where he's gone, or how long he will be away."

"Mitsuru did make sure he had a cash card right, for things like food? I'm certain she can trace that. Use it!"

Aigis looked up. Apparently Mitsuru had heard that. "I did, and he converted it to cash properly. I can't trace that. I'm willing to give him some space."

"Did you hear that?" Aigis asked.

"Yes." Midori sounded very dejected. "Now I have to figure out how to string along Chie until Akihiko comes back."

"You could tell her that he's gone on a training camp and won't be back for at least six months."

"Sure. Then she'll ask me where this camp is, how to get to there, and then she'll probably try to get there during the summer." Midori sighed. "I need a better plan."

"Perhaps you should just tell her that you don't know where he's gone?" Aigis knew that was the simplest solution, which is why she didn't present it to Midori in the first place.

"That's even worse!" Midori complained again, indicated that she had already evaluated that option. "Then she'll go right back to not-liking me, and Chie was the last serious holdout with her influence over Yukiko. That will take me months to fix!"

Aigis didn't have a frame of reference for Midori's social warfare, and her conversations with Yukari, Fuuka and others had indicated that Gekkoukan had been very calm in that regard as Mitsuru was imperious in her control. "I do not know what to say."

"You could use that fancy Persona detection gear and locate him!"

"The technology doesn't work like that." To be honest, the Kirijo Group was researching Persona detection in the real world, thanks in part to Midori and Black Frost. She was assisting in her own way, she was already planning a field test under the cover of going to Yasoinaba to visit her friend. But that was months in the future at the least. "Actually, there is something else that came to my attention."

"Oh?" Midori was glad to be away from her latest headaches.

"Yes. The Tennis Club has received some invitations to a tournament in Tokyo in August. Rio-sensei has one for herself, one for me, and thanks to some... rules lawyering, has one in reserve for you." She could hear the stunned reaction on Midori's end. "Rio will be contacting you by the end of next week to see if you can attend or not."

**16 May 2010  
><strong>**Central Shopping District, Tatsuhime Shrine  
><strong>**Daytime**

Amane examined the donations box while the Fox eagerly awaited the results. Getting a proper miko was good for the shrine, and that it got Amane with her gifts was even better.

"Got much?" Midori said as she came up from behind, some food purchased from the gas station at the bottom of the hill bagged in her hands.

"Enough," Amane replied as she finished counting. The Fox approved of the final tally.

"So, I got a phone call from Mari-sensei lat night," Midori said as she kneeled down and started distributing food.

"I was wondering what that was about," Amane admitted as she unwrapped the sandwich. "What did she say?"

"She wanted me to keep an eye on you for a month. But she didn't say _why_."

"Oh, that? She's going back to Tokyo next week for about four or five weeks." Amane knew this trip was coming, so she didn't make much of it. "She doesn't want to leave me alone, so she thinks you'll be a good person to keep an eye on me, rather than asking Izuma to take a month off for my sake."

Midori practically beamed with pride that she was being entrusted with such a task. "Sure! It'll be easy to whip; up a guest room for you! Daddy wants me to have more friends over, and you'll be a good start!"

The Fox yawned and stretched out after finishing the offering of meat. It curled up in Amane's lap to take a small nap.

"So," Midori wondered. "I got no problems with that, but why is she going back? Some sort of conference or something?"

"No, it's been nine months since the Lockdown, give or take a couple weeks."

Midori saw that in the calendar in her head. "Yeah, so?"

"Nine months." Amane was completely certain that Midori couldn't be that ignorant.

"Yes. So?"

"The hospitals are expecting an influx of new patients."

"I'm not an idiot, Amane." Midori took on a serious tone. "Why does Mari-sensei have to go back?"

Amane leaned in. "This is still a secret, you have to understand."

"My lips are sealed." Truth be told, Midori had done some reading after the Lockdown, and had discovered that there was usually a small spike in the number of births nine months after such events. The study in question cited some major power outages over the past century in America as examples. She too had huddled up with people to keep warm for a couple nights that week, though thankfully she had been with other girls.

"Well," Amane said as she absently stroked the Fox's fur, "there are some concerns that for a few of these children, their fathers... went home at the end of the week."

It took a moment for realization to flash into Midori's head. Then her stomach crashed with the gut knowledge. "Oh no."

Amane waved away the worst of the concerns. "Don't worry. Yes, it happened. Yes, the people in charge have been aware of this for months, and have been planning their response for some time."

"But!"

"But nothing, Midori. This isn't the end of the world. Abel himself will be hanging out as much as he can to make sure nothing goes wrong, or for any... foreign parents to try and make an appearance."

"And they want Mari because she's a Doctor and a Tamer?"

"Exactly."

"This has all the makings of a disaster!" Midori moved to stand up, but Amane put a firm hand on her sleeve. "Let go! We have to go to Tokyo to help out!"

"You are helping," Amane replied calmly, "by keeping me company. These events are expected to bring out any further followers of my father, and as long as I am here, and not there, they won't find me."

Midori crashed back down into a sitting position. "Fine. But the first sign of trouble, I'm heading for Tokyo."

"Of course."

"So, um, how are they going to know?"

Amane reached out and took a few strands of Midori's hair into her hand. "It's not as bad as you're thinking." She joined Midori's blue with her own purple. "Some people believe that this is a sign of demon's blood, and look how you and I turned out. How we are raised is more important than our lineage. We can only trust that all mothers love their children."

**Komaki Residence, Midori's room  
><strong>**Late Night**

Midori couldn't sleep. One simple statement shook her to her core, but even then, she could see some good from it. It's just that she never thought about it before, even as she remembered hearing about that when she was a young girl, how her mother's friends would call her 'kami touched' for her hair, which didn't match Daddy's or Mommy's.

Vibrantly coloured hair as a sign of demonic heritage.

She couldn't sleep.


	5. 03 June 2010 to 07 June 2010

**03 June 2010  
><strong>**Yasogami High School, Gymnasium  
><strong>**After School**

"Good, you're all here." Morooka said as he paced back and forth in front of the assembled captains of the various sports clubs. They were all varying levels of good people, from the slackers who were disgraces to their teams by not trying their best, to exemplars of good conduct and proper behaviour. He spun around to begin another length. "Thanks to us having a good windfall in terms of finances, all the equipment your teams need has been ordered, and will be delivered over the next few weeks. Everything will be here before the summer break, so I want all of you ready for your teams to get used to the new stuff."

He paused, and looked out over the Captains. They were all glad for the new gear, and he couldn't find fault with that. Having teams share space and equipment was ripe for poor consequences. "Now, with some of you making regionals, or even invitationals," he barely controlled the pride he felt that his prize student, Komaki-chan had gotten one for Tokyo at the end of Summer.

"That's _no reason to slack off_! Good equipment doesn't mean you automatically become better players!" He spun around again, seeing who was paying attention, and who wasn't. He wasn't surprised at the results, but he kept talking anyways. It would be better for the kids to focus their energy into sports than into something less savoury over the summer. With their beaches, and their camping trips and their 'courage tests'. And he was the right person to make sure they stayed to the better course!

**Central Shopping District  
><strong>**Evening**

"And he just kept droning on and on and on about 'proper responsibility', and 'ethics' and 'leadership'!" Midori groaned as she and Saki walked to her parent's business, the rest of their friends already having gone their separate ways. "He should have just stopped after 5 minutes!"

"That's the King Moron for you." Saki still couldn't believe that Midori could keep calling the Moron Morooka after all this time. "You should know this by now."

"Yes, yes, I know." Midori shook her head sadly. "So, see you on Monday?"

Skia nodded. "Yep. Listen, are you ready for the Camp?"

Midori thought about that. "The one where we go clean up the mountain for tourist season?"

"What other ones could there be?"

"Camp where everyone goes to the beach and enjoys the sun?"

Saki rolled her eyes. "Silly! Look, my dad's got a spare tent we can use, so we don't have to borrow one of the school's tents. Can I bring it over tomorrow and we can set it up to air it out?"

"Sure," Midori readily agreed. She hadn't really gone on a proper camping trip before, so it was such a novel experience that she was fully expecting to make a really long version of her show to highlight everything about it. She still hadn't decided though if she wanted to play up the 'poor city idol' angle, or the 'nature is awesome!' vein. Probably the latter, knowing she had fans in town, in school and in her class.

"Your dad going to be home?"

"Not this weekend," Midori replied. "He's gone south to talk to some people about something or other.

"Well, my dad is willing to have you over for supper if you want." Saki offered as they reached the store. "He's taken a shine to you."

"Well, helping clean the place is always good for that," Midori responded as she pushed some errant hair back. "But I'd have to bring Amane."

Saki snorted. "And you think my parents wouldn't mind having the local shrine maiden at their table? It would be good luck and good business." She had no idea how Midori and the Miko knew each other, but they were friends, so it was all good.

"She does keep getting free stuff in exchange for blessings," Midori observed. "But this would be personal, not professional."

"Still, she spends a lot of time to herself. She needs to get out of the shrine more! And this is a great way to do it."

"Careful," Midori warned. "She might try to convince you to help out at the Shrine."

"Like she already has you?" Saki teased the smaller girl.

"HEY!" Midori objected, but she knew it was true. She spent one night a week at Saki's parent's store, and another evening helping at the Shrine. "Well, I mean, if you helped out, not only would the jobs get done faster, we could spend more time together!"

Saki shook her head. "Probably not. Look, just invite her, alright? If she can come too, that would be great. Otherwise, it's alright."

**Konishi Residence  
><strong>**Evening****  
><strong>

Amane and Midori bowed politely as they took their leave of their host for the evening. "That was nice," Amane admitted. "I haven't had a meal like that in some time."

"Sure is better than my cooking," Midori admitted as she and Amane began to walk away. "So, enjoying yourself?"

"I am. Thank you."

"That's good to hear."

"Somethings bothering you." Amane didn't get her position solely because she was her father's daughter. She did have some skill and power of her own. "Tell me about it."

Midori didn't want to. She was the one people talked too, darn it! "It's nothing," she lied.

"Don't lie to me Midori." Amane warned sternly. "You are one of the people precious to me in this world, and I do not like seeing you like this."

The thought that Amane may see her as more than just the usual friend that Midori found and surrounded herself with was just a bit disconcerting. She wasn't certain what, exactly, constituted 'precious', as that word could go in many ways.

Sensing the hesitation, the priestess forged ahead. "It's about Tokyo isn't it?"

"No! No! I mean, I know that sort of thing was possible, and I trust Mari-sensei and Abel and everyone else to do the right thing even without me there," she paused for another moment. Then deflated in the face of a far too familiar gaze of someone who would not give up until she had opened up some way.

"It's what you said about the hair," she admitted softly. "About being demonic."

Amane did the only thing she could do in the face of such worries. She slapped Midori on the back of the head. "Idiot," she proclaimed. "Just because some tales are true doesn't mean they all are." She could just imagine the Fox laughing when she got around to telling her about this event.

"It still worries me!" And she couldn't tell Amane about Personas either, so using that as evidence was right out.

"If it becomes your problem, you can deal with it." Amane countered. "Besides, it's not like you have horns, fangs and green skin right?"

Midori looked down at herself. "No..."

"Then you have nothing to worry about." Amane shook her head. "Besides, how many other people can honestly say they made friends with a demon, based on mutual respect, hrm?"

"Frosty? Black Frost?"

"Of course! You are not so low that you would make issue of the nature of a person before making friends with them." She supported her friend in a manner more accurate than she knew. "Trust yourself."

**04 June 2010  
><strong>**Outside Dojima Residence  
><strong>**Evening**

Ryotaro stepped out of his house, slinging his jacket over his shoulder. "I'll be back soon, Nanako! You be a good girl!" He cursed himself for leaving his daughter alone at home like this, but the call from the chief had been urgent enough. He wanted to punch something, like his car in frustration, but knew that his daughter was watching, and he couldn't do that.

A flash of colour out of the corner of his eye drew his attention. It was one of the neighbourhood girls... what's her name. She was in high school by the uniform, and that hair...! He recognized her as the friend of the Miko from the Central Shopping district! Memories and his detective's mind fell into place, filling in the gaps of his knowledge. She was one of the better students at the school, lots of friends...

"Excuse me!" He called out, the impulse in the moment forming a plan.

The girl turned to face him, her large bag held some sports equipment sticking out of it. "Yes, sir?"

"I'm sorry to bother you," Ryotaro said, hoping this would work. "I'm Detective Ryotaro Dojima. I got a call from work, and I need to head into the precinct, and it's on short notice." He gestured at the house behind him. "I don't want to leave my daughter alone, so would you be willing to babysit for me tonight? I can pay you." He tried very hard to keep the desperation out of her voice.

"Midori Komaki," the girl introduced herself as she looked like she was thinking about it. "I suppose I could. How old is she?"

"Five," Ryotaro replied. "This won't be an imposition, will it?"

"No," Midori said as she crossed the threshold onto the driveway. "If I can do my homework?"

"Of course!" She was going to do it, and Ryotaro felt a physical sense of relief. "There's some pre-made meals in the fridge, you can heat them up for supper." He was about to unlock his car when he realized that he still needed to let her in. "Come on, I'll give you a quick tour."

He returned to the front door and unlocked it. "Nanako-chan!" He called out for his daughter, who came running.

"Daddy! You're staying!" She jumped into his waiting arms and kissed him on the cheek.

"Not quite." Ryotaro spun around, still holding his daughter to his chest. "Nanako, this is Midori. Midori, this is Nanako. She'll be babysitting with you tonight until I come home."

The little girl took one look at the new person in their house then began to quickly shake her head back and forth in rejection. "No, daddy! I want you to stay!"

Ryotaro let Nanako down gently, both physically and with his words. "I'm sorry, but daddy has to go to work, you know this. Midori will make sure supper is done, and tuck you into bed." He shot a glance at the blue haired girl. "Nine, at the latest."

Midori bowed, still standing in the entryway. "Of course." She looked around and saw the kitchen and living room adjacent to each other, an open gap leading upstairs if she wasn't completely incompetent at knowing how a building was laid out. "Hello, Nana-chi," she greeted the little girl with all the friendliness she could muster, though it may have been too much as she quickly hid behind her father. "I'm Modori. It is very nice to meet you." She bowed very slightly given that she was already kneeling down to get to Nanako's level. "Can you help me with something?"

Suddenly a lot of things her own babysitters said made more sense. How they treated her when her daddy wasn't around, and a whole lot of other things.

"Say yes, Nanako." Ryotaro commanded gently. "I have to go," he then said to both of them. "You can call the precinct if you need anything, the number is by the phone." He gently undid Nanako's grip from his pants, letting her keep one hand in his for a moment. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

With that, Ryotaro made his way past Midori and out to his car. After a moment, the sounds of the car's engine turning over gave way to him driving away.

"So," Midori said, turning her attention back to Nanako. "I'm Midori. You must be Nanako." She set down her gym bag and carefully slid it off to one side. "Can I come in?"

Nanako shook her head in the negative. It was obvious she didn't want a babysitter, let alone a stranger in her house while her father was gone. But Midori had made a promise, and she wasn't about to give in to the will of a five year old, especially when a police officer was depending on her. So instead of leaving, she sat down in the foyer, and crossed her legs. "Your father asked me to watch over you, Nana-chi," she switched back to the cuter diminutive to help enforce the idea she was a good person.

Nanako shook her head again, but didn't say anything against Midori or her father.

Midori went ahead with her initiative. "Hey, Nana-chi? If you're going to have supper, you'll need to wash your hands first." She tilted her head to one side, "Can you show me where the washroom is so I can clean my hands too?"

It took a moment for the request to work its way past Nanako's generic rejection of the stranger. Politeness won out in the end, and she nodded. "This way," she said as she turned her back on Midori, giving the older girl a chance to stand up and follow.

The bathroom was functional, though she almost missed the normality of it when she had to stop and count out the fact that there were only two toothbrushes. One was obviously Nanako's by the size and colour, while the other one had to be Detecive Dojima's.

A small pit in her stomach was quickly squashed, and she followed the little girl out to the living room. She let her take a seat first, then sat down, not across from her, but to her side at the low table. Without looking at her, Nanako reached for the remote and turned on the television.

So, playing the ignoring game? Midori could work with that. Do a little bit of homework, prepare supper from the fridge, and use the food to bring the girl to her. It was easy. And it had worked on her in the past.

As she waited for a good hour for it be time to start supper, she worked on her homework with one eye, and made sure that Nanako didn't do anything wrong with the other. Of course, the little girl was watching some marathon of PreCure (which Midori approved of on principle, even if she now knew that fighting in a dress like that was just asking for trouble), and keeping an eye on _Midori_ herself, to make sure she wasn't going to do anything evil.

At six, Midori shut her math book and stood up. "I'm going to make supper now."

Nanako still ignored her, though the marathon was ending, and the channel switched programming to the news. Heading for the kitchen, she saw that it was in serious need of some cleaning, though there was enough to work with to make supper for two. "Do you know when your daddy is coming home?" The question was directed toward the Detective, rather than either of them. Midori's plan was cunning in her own view, and this was just part of it.

"Tomorrow," Nanako replied. Midori wasn't sure if she meant that directly, or if she meant that her father would return after her bed time, and that she wouldn't see him until tomorrow. And that reminded her that she still needed to call Aigis today for their weekly chat.

Supper was made in a pot, soup in a can was so easy even at her worst, Midori couldn't bungle it. But thankfully she was past that stage in her life. After that was done, she set out two bowls, and called Nanako up to the table for the meal. She came, quietly, and the two of them ate in silence before Midori cleaned up and started on the dishes.

Yes, the kitchen really needed to be scrubbed. So she set about that while Nanako returned to her television. Soon, Midori was done as much as she felt like doing for being a babysitter, getting all the dirty dishes clean, and the counter scrubbed down. She almost felt like a housewife for that, and that returned her to the dark thoughts from earlier.

Knowing for experience how bad the question could be asked, Midori looked around instead for signs of a wife. What she saw was far too familiar. There was a picture in a frame on one of the walls with a man who was obviously the Detective, posing with a woman and a small bundle of a baby. It was dated, and that meant that the third person in the picture was Nanako.

Midori honestly hoped that for the sake of the little girl, that it was just a divorce, or a separation, and not something worse. She didn't need to dredge up her own bad memories here and now.

Deciding that it was late enough, Midori returned to the living room table and sat down, drawing a look from Nanako in the process. Pulling out her phone, she called her friend.

It was picked up after the first ring. "Midori, you are later than usual." Aigis spoke before introducing herself.

"That's alright Aigis. I'm babysitting for one of the neighbours, and that meant I had to call later."

"Forgiven."

"Say hello to my friend Aigis, Nana-chi!" Midori held out the phone and waited in awkward silence for the little girl to respond before giving up. "No good," she said back into her phone. "She's giving me the silent treatment as it's my first time here."

"I am certain of your ability to make friends," Aigis replied. "So, how are things progressing for the tournament?"

"Oooh... Not as well as I'd hoped. The school got new equipment, but the team is still needing a lot of practice." Midori slouched a little as she delivered the bad news. "I have to train everyone from scratch pretty much."

"I'm sure you're doing a good job." Aigis tried to be supportive. "But remember, this isn't a team event, it's an individual invitational.

"_Which_," Midori was quick to correct, "was because I only went to that school that I got that invitation."

"No, you are good enough to participate."

"Aigis, there's going to be eight-zero people in attendance. I'll be lucky to be in the top half by the time those four days are done." Midori knew she had a lot of energy, and if she didn't have to ration it for the entirety of the tournament, she was certain she could do better.

"The top half is still a good result," Aigis said. "Are all the arrangements in place?"

"Yes," Midori shuffled through her notebooks for the one she kept the club records and activities in. "Let's see. Daddy arranged for accommodations with one of his co-workers for the duration. They're a twenty minute train ride from the playing fields, so that's not a problem." She had stayed with them before while her daddy was out of town on business, so it wasn't like she was imposing on them, not with a couple months notice. "How about you?" She looked to see that Nanako had tuned her out. "What with your.. condition and all."

"That is being taken care of. Chidori will be my room mate."

Midori frowned. "How are you convincing her to spend so long away from Junpei? They're practically married with all the time they spend together."

"That is the exact phrase used by many of our fellow students," Aigis changed the subject. "They are the subject of a lot of gossip."

"All of it good, I hope?" Aigis didn't get to hear these things from her weekly sessions with the two of them, so it was always good to hear from a second source. "Because I can see a few ways that can go bad."

"give me the phone!" Yukari's voice came over the line before the sounds of an attempt to pry the phone out of Aigis's hands came through. "Come on Aigis!"

"Give her the phone," Midori said, wondering why it took this long for this to happen. "Yukari?"

"Look!" Yukari finally got the phone from Aigis. "Hey, Midori. Look, this thing with Junpei and Chidori, it's getting out of hand."

"It's only been two months." It was an unusual position for Midori to be the one playing moderator, but she wasn't about to fail. "How bad can it be?"

"Bad." Yukari said. "They've got teachers breathing down their necks for being 'inappropriate' around the school and what not."

Midori couldn't see it. Chidori wanted Junpei's presence, not anything else. "So get Mitsuru vouch for them, or something like that."

"She wanted too, but Chidori objected."

"Like that would stop her."

"Actually, she was willing to give the two of them the chance to work things out themselves."

"What." Midori refused to believe that. "She would never give up like that."

"I know!" Yukari agreed. "Look, when you talk to them tomorrow, you have to do something about it!"

"Summer vacation is coming up..." Midori thought hard. "We can use that time to cool off the students who were caught off guard by Junpei coming back with a girlfriend. You know, give people a chance to get used to the idea, rather than having it shoved in their faces?" She looked at Nanako, who was still paying attention to her shows, and not to the conversation taking place at the same table.

"Maybe. I don't know!"

"Put Aigis back on," Midori commanded, "I can talk to her a bit."

"Sure. Aigis!" Yukari's passing of the phone to the robot was a lot more polite than the other way around.

"Yes?"

"I'll talk to Junpei and Chidori tomorrow. You didn't answer my question though – how did you get Chidori to agree to come to the tournament?"

"Junpei is going to a hospital in Tokyo for a follow up from his injuries," Aigis explained. "From there, Chidori agreed to be my roommate, and Rio approved of the order."

"Oh good. For a moment there, I thought you were going to try to have to explain why you needed a room to yourself."

"That was never a problem. I would have asked you."

Midori swelled with pride at the confidence displayed in her, then deflated again. "Alright, so I'll try to reign in those two tomorrow, and get ready to see you and others in Tokyo in August?"

"That sounds about right."

"Cool! See you then!" Midori put down the phone and hung up. Seeing Nanako looking at her, Midori smiled. "When you make lots of friends," she said in order to impart a bit of wisdom to the little girl, "remember that they can be friends with each other too."

**05 June 2010  
><strong>**Dojima Residence  
><strong>**Early Morning**

Ryotaro got home far later than he intended, so much so that the sun threatened to rise up before he did. He knew he shouldn't be doing these evening shifts like this, but what else could he do?

Unlocking the door, he remembered that he had hired a babysitter last night on the spur of the moment. Suddenly worried for his daughter, he didn't pause to take his shoes off as he ran upstairs and checked in on her.

Nanako was asleep, curled up on her futon and under her blankets. She was safe and sound. With a sigh of relief, he walked downstairs, wondering where the babysitter was. What was her name again? It was a colour, wasn't it?

He stopped at the bottom of the stairs, his question answered. The girl – Midori! That's what her name is! Midori! She was asleep on the couch, wrapped in the quilt that normally hung over the back of said couch.

It was obvious that rather than put Nanako to bed, then call for permission to go home, she had decided to wait for him. He was impressed with her dedication, although judging by the stack of school books on the table, she had also availed herself of the time to study.

Deciding against waking her to tell her she could go home, Ryotaro found a piece of paper from her books he could remove, and borrowed a pen.

_Thank you for staying so late. I was caught up at work. I am now at home and probably asleep. Here is your pay, you can let yourself out and do not need to announce it._ He put the note on top of her books, and left some cash notes from his wallet with them, hoping it was enough.

Satisfied, he went back upstairs to go to bed himself.

**Afternoon**

Ryotaro picked up the note left on the table in place of the school books. _Midori Komaki here! Here's my phone number. Call me next time!_ There was a cute little drawing of her bowing, it even had the right coloured hair.

Accepting the offer, he put the note by the phone, making sure to write "Babysitter – reliable overnight" on it.

**07 June 2010  
><strong>**Yasoinaba Highschool, Gymnasium  
><strong>**After School**

Midori plucked the cellphone from her bag, seeing that there was a message on it. "Go ahead Saki," she bid her friend head out to the practise court before her. "I got to check this in case it's my daddy."

"Sure, see you in a couple minutes." Saki walked out, tugging at the hem of her skirt, causing Midori to plan out some modifications needed to make it comfortable for her friend.

Punching in some numbers, she called up her voice mail, and listened to the message.

"_Hello, Midori-chan? Um, this is Detective Dojima again. You watched over Nanako on the weekend? Would you be able to come over tonight? Hopefully you won't have to sleep over this time. Give me a call back if you can. Here's my number..._"

"SAKI!" Midori yelled out, hoping that she could hear her. No response came, so she stepped out of the change room and into the gym. "SAKI?"

"Yes?"

"Hey, you mind going with me to a babysitting job tonight instead of my place?"

"No. Who's kid?"

"Detective Dojima. He lives, like, three houses down from me."

"A detective?" One of the other girls in the tennis club, Eri, said. "Hey, isn't he the one whose wife was killed in a hit and run, like, last winter?"

Midori suppressed a wince. She really didn't want to know that. But if that was true, then it was all the more important that she babysit for little Nanako. "So, you in or out?"

"I suppose I can. But I still have to go home by nine." Saki agreed as she lifted a couple tennis balls. "So, you going to come out and lead the team, Captain?" She said with a grin as she got ready to serve.

"I'll be out in a minute. Let me agree." Midori quickly dialled the number, and informed Detective Dojima that she would be there by six.

**Dojima Residence  
><strong>**Evening****  
><strong>

Midori rang the doorbell, noting the other car that was parked just on the street. Saki was behind her, completely ambivalent to Midori's third part-time job. After a moment, the door was opened by an elderly gentleman. "Ah," he said with aged voice, "you young ladies must be the sitters that Ryotaro has for his little Nanako." He invited them in with a sweep of the hand. "Forgive me, I am Detective Kodai, the young man's partner."

"Midori," she introduced herself, "and this is Saki."

Ryotaro appeared from the staircase. "Oh, thanks for coming like this." He bowed to the two girls. "I should be home by ten, eleven at the latest."

"You will be home by ten," Kodai said firmly. "I'm sorry girls, but my young partner here is sometimes enjoys his work too much, and I have to remind him to head home now and again."

Aghast at being embarrassed in front of the babysitter, the middle-aged man shook his head. "Kodai!"

Laughing, the elderly detective waited for the two girls to clear the front entry. "I'm sorry. Look, I'll make sure he gets home on time. No repeats of last time."

"Last time?" Saki whispered, curious.

"I stayed overnight," Midori admitted as the two men passed them by.

"Oh, I forgot, I left some food in the fridge for supper." Ryotaro said as he put on his shoes.

"Don't worry about it," Midori hefted a bag in her hand. "I brought some to cook."

"I think Nanako will appreciate a home-cooked meal," Ryotaro admitted. "She's up in her room right now." He opened the front door. "Nanako! I'm leaving! The sitter is here!"

"Kay," the young voice came from upstairs.

Satisfied, the two detectives bowed to the two girls, then stepped out for work.

"So," Midori said as she set down her school bag. "I'll start supper. You want to clean off the table?" She wondered just how a mess like that could occur in two days.

"Well, it's not as bad as my place can get," Saki agreed as she rolled up her sleeves. "So, what's Nanako like?"

"Quiet, and sad." Midori observed. "Eri said her mother died a few months ago, and I think she's still mourning." She had confirmed the accident after practise through her connections at school, as well as the knowledge that the driver of the car was still at large.

"Ouch," Saki replied as she gathered up the dishes. "Nothing we can do about that."

Midori disagreed. She knew she could be of help to the little girl, but there was no need to let Saki know that. "Well, good food is always a start." She pulled out the necessary pots and refreshed in her mind what she needed to do.

Soon, supper was ready, and Midori decided to go upstairs to collect Nanako, rather than call her down. If she did the latter, she would never come, so she had to go to her instead. Leaving Saki to deal with the details, Midori made no attempt to sneak up the stairs, long experience told her that was the wrong thing to do.

Knocking on Nanako's door, she waited for a response. "I'm not hungry," it came.

Oh, she was going to play it that way. "That's sad," Midori said. "I made real food this time, not the store-stuff your dad usually gets."

"Not hungry!" The door remained firmly closed.

"It's got real meat! And veggies for a growing young girl!" Step one, don't make it about either of them. Make coming out about the food and nothing else. "And milk is good for you!"

She could hear Nanako come to the door, still hiding. "Can I have ice for dessert?"

Midori tried to remember if there was any ice cream in the freezer, but couldn't. "I don't know if your daddy has any, but if not, I think we can go out and get some before bed time."

The door cracked open just an inch. "Chocolate?"

"Only if you'll let me have strawberry." Midori smiled gently, knowing step two was to let the girl know that she was in charge, not Midori. "Oh, and I suppose we'll have to buy some for Saki too."

"Saki?"

"She's my friend from school. She'll be helping me do homework."

"..." Midori was surprised that Nanako could emote like that. "al'right."

"Good!" Midori stood up as Nanako stepped out of her room. "~Time to wash our hands~!" she sing-songed as she led the way to the washroom.

**Night**

"She's in bed?" Saki asked as she gathered up her stuff. It was coming on nine, and she still needed to head home.

"Yep."

"Cute child," Saki said. "I remember when Naoki was like that."

Midori couldn't relate, being a single child.

"Well, thanks for the help with the homework. I'll be off then."

"Night Saki! See you tomorrow!"

"Remember, dad needs the back room swept and mopped properly tomorrow night."

"Would I ever do a half-job?"

Saki thought for a moment, parodying the concept of hard thought with a finger on her chin. "Well, I suppose you do do a half job..."

"S~aki!"

"But only after you've done a full job. A job-and-a-half, you might say." Saki left the grinning Midori behind to her job, heading down hill for home. "Night!"

"Night!"

Now alone on the first floor, Midori knew it was time to take Nanako seriously. She had done enough of the fun routine. Now it was time to be serious.

And she only had an hour to do it in.

Climbing the stairs, she didn't creep, but she didn't stomp either. She was an intruder now, so she had to act like it.

In front of Nanako's door, she paused and took a breath to try to steady her beating heart. She failed. Turning around, she slumped up against the wall beside the door. "Nanako..? You awake?"

A moments silence, then a muffled 'yes'. She was awake, but still under her covers.

"Hey, I'm sorry." Midori apologized for all slights real and imagined. "I haven't been a proper big-sis to you."

Nanako didn't respond.

"I know it hurts. Mommy not being there. She's in heaven, isn't she?" Those were the hardest words to say that she had ever done. Lying about how good the realm of angels must be in order to protect a child from the vile truth. "So's my mommy. She left me when I was a little older than you. She was sick."

She could hear movement from in the other room. Good.

"You see, as a big-sis, it's my job to protect and help all the little girls I meet, and I haven't done that with you. I can't because you're still hurting, and so is your daddy. And every night he leaves you alone is a night you're afraid he's the one not coming back."

Her own fears, made manifest. Reaching into a pocket, she pulled out Frosty's card, summoning him into the real world for the sole purpose of being someone to hug as she tired to save Nanako from Midori's own failings.

"Mommies are special. There's no one like them, and because of that, I know what you're feeling." She wiped away tears she didn't know she still had. She thought she got rid of them years ago when she dedicated herself to Love and Justice. "So all I'm going to do is wait out here. And I'll wait as long as I need to until you want to tell me what your mommy is like. And I'll tell you about mine."

The door never opened.


	6. 10 June 2010 to 11 June 2010

**10 June 2010  
><strong>**Komaki Residence  
><strong>**After School**

"Hey, Midori? Dojima again. Look, sorry, it's the third time in a week. But Nanako asked for you, so would you be willing to look after her tomorrow during the day? I'll be home a little after supper, if that's alright with you."

Midori sighed, causing Mamoru to look up. "Problem?"

"No, daddy. Just being a babysitter."

"Well, I'm off tomorrow, so I can help out. Is this that Nanako girl?"

"Yes."

"Well, bring her over! I can drive us down to a beach or something fun."

"That... would actually be pretty nice, Daddy."

"Good, I'll start to get things ready. You want to invite anyone else while we're at it?"

"I'll see about inviting the team." Midori picked up the phone again. "I'll let you know how many are coming."

**11 June 2010  
><strong>**Beach  
><strong>**Afternoon**

Mamoru wondered if he could justify this in asking his bosses for a larger vehicle. It turned out that they needed two cars to fit everyone who was coming, as Midori brought along Nanako, (who had wrapped herself around Midori's leg like a lamprey), her Tennis club, and some of her other friends. Some panicked calling around had dredged up another car driven by a doctor from the local hospital, a Mari Mochizuki who was living with the local Miko.

"So," he said as they sat in their chairs, the cooler full of iced tea between them. As the only male present, he felt that being separate from the rest was a good idea. "I hope this wasn't too much of an imposition. Midori can be quite forceful when she needs to be."

"Oh, I know." Mari responded as she sipped at a straw. "I've seen her with Amane."

Mamoru nodded in agreement. Now that she had a taste of being popular, his daughter was going all out in being the best at that. While he appreciated the change in her over the past year or so, he knew that he would have to reign her in sooner, rather than later. "If she steps out of bounds, let me know." He had plenty of experience in asking for and getting help from his wife's co-workers after her death, so he was equally casual when talking to the doctor.

"I will, though I think Amane will do so first." She looked down at the beach where Midori and another girl were trying to drag Amane into the water. "Thank you for the invitation."

"Think nothing of it."

"Who is the little girl? Her sister?"

"Nanako? No, she's the daughter of one of the neighbours. Midori is looking after her today, and this whole trip came out of that."

"Well, if a trip to the beach is the result of her doing that, I'm all for it." Mari looked down at the sand and water, as though judging the possibility of joining in.

"I'm surprised a doctor such as yourself was able to get the day off on such short notice."

"Actually, it's a bit more than that." Mari explained her situation directly. "I was going back to Tokyo for a month to help with something, but after three weeks, it was determined that the worst of it was over, and I was released to come back. The hospital here isn't expecting me back for a few more days, and I'm still getting paid, so why not take a week off?"

Mamori laughed. "Paid vacation? I can get behind that."

"What about you? I've heard Midori tell Amane that you're an advertising agent?"

"I bit more than that. I'm the regional representative for my company. And before you ask, yes, Junes is one of our clients. My job also includes building market share out of the local economy."

"How's that coming along?"

"Ever tried to convince a small town that's already under pressure that the best way to keep their business is go into tourism?"

"Ouch."

"That's only part of it. I also have to spend a week at a time driving around the area for meetings and trying to cut deals. Makes me wish for my old job back some days."

"Oh? And what was that."

"Sentai Stuntman."

Mari didn't believe him, and laughed at the absurdity of the image.

"Hey! I still have pictures! I can show you when we get home."

"Oh, inviting me home after one date? I'm not that kind of woman."

Mamoru groaned. "Neither am I that sort of man. Sorry, poor form. When Amane comes over to visit Midori, I can show you some of those pictures to keep us out of their hair." It was easy to spot the two of them in the small clutch of girls out on the beach.

"That's more acceptable."

**Outside Komaki Residence  
><strong>**Evening****  
><strong>

"Daddy, you don't have to walk with us. It's literally right around the corner!" Midori pointed to where the two roads intersected, one of them dropping off sharply as it headed down to the river.

"I know, but I want to meet Detective Dojima," Mamoru said. "Besides your hands are full with Nanako, so you'll need me to open the door for you." He gestured at the sleeping five year old, currently with her arms around Midori's neck and resting against her chest.

"Oh, fine." Midori didn't argue the point further given the regular breathing and slight snoring coming from Nanako. "At least she had fun."

"We all did. Now come on." Mamoru held open the door for them, then followed.

**Dojima Residence**

Midori came back down stairs to see the two men putting on their shoes. "Where are you going?" She asked more at her father than at the detective.

"We're going out for some drinks," Mamoru said as he checked his jacket. "Just us guys. Can you stay here a couple more hours for us?"

"Really Daddy?" She hissed, wanting to raise her voice but not willing to wake Nanako. "You're going out to a _bar_?"

Mamoru nodded. "Of course! Nanako is already in bed, so you don't need to stick around."

Midori wasn't about to do _that_. But then she saw something in her daddy's eyes. He had a... look about him that said that this was more than just some mere trip down to a bar for alcohol. And he was depending on her to do the right thing. So she relented. "Fine," she waved one hand at the door dismissively. "I, however, reserve the right to kick you both out of this house if you come home drunk. You" she pointed at Ryotaro, "will have to spend the night at our house to sleep it off."

"Really?" He grumbled, but not in the annoyed way. "You'd keep me out of my house?"

"She fully can. I'll tell you about the time the one of my co-workers tried that a few years ago. It was _hilarious_. Mamoru gave a nod of thanks to his daughter, then put one arm around Ryotaro's shoulders. "Come on! Beer awaits!"

As soon as they left, Midori whispered, "I hope you know what you're doing, daddy."

**Central Shopping District  
><strong>**Shiroku Pub****  
><strong>

The two men walked in, pushing aside the curtains as they did so. "Huh, never knew this place was here," Mamoru commented as he and Ryotaro headed for the bar itself. There was only one person sitting there, and the two of them took seats far enough away.

"It's a hidden spot," Ryotaro said as he gestured to the woman behind the bar for two beers. "My partner showed it to me a few years ago."

"I will have to thank him when I see him next." Mamoru took the offered drink and tasted it carefully. It was... acceptable. "So, does it usually rain this much?"

"Heh," the detective replied as he loosened his tie. "I'm surprised you managed to get a good day for a trip down to the ocean."

"Eh, it wasn't that hard. Once we got out of the mountains, the weather cleared right up." He waved over his head to indicate the clouds parting.

"That's nice. I hope Nanako enjoyed herself."

"That she did, once she stopped hugging Midori's leg."

"I'll talk to her about that." Ryotaro drew another long sip of his drink to finish the stein off. "She needs to behave better."

"No, don't." Mamoru objected. "That's the wrong thing to do."

"You telling me how to raise my daughter? Neither of us have had enough drinks for that."

"I'll tell you because I had to raise Midori after her mother died." Mamoru accepted the refill. "So this is me stopping you from screwing up."

"Keep your nose out of my family's business." Ryotaro would have no one doing anything to harm Nanako. Especially strangers.

"How long ago did she die?" Mamoru ignored the implied threat for what it was, a defensive reaction to a still fresh wound. "My wife died a little over ten years ago."

"I don't have to sit here for this," Ryotaro tried to stand up, but was stopped by the iron grip of Mamoru. "Let go."

"No. Not right now. You and I are going to sit. We are going to drink. And we are going to talk."

"No, we don't."

"Yes, we are. Because Midori, bless her, has seen more than what I've seen, and even though she's changed so much in this past year, grown so much, she still won't walk away from a problem like that. Not when she's been there too. So _sit down_."

Ryotaro did, then finished his drink, signalling for a refill. "Go on." It wouldn't hurt to listen, right?

Mamoru began to talk about his wife, and in doing so, got Ryotaro to speak about his. As they drank, the bartender recognized what was happening and watered down their orders somewhat in order to keep them talking. It was about time, she reflected, that someone did this for the poor widower.

**Dojima Residence**

Midori had checked in on Nanako once more before running home to change into something more casual, and to grab her phone off its charger before heading back to Dojima's house. Once back, she relaxed and started to dial.

"Hey Aigis!"

"Hello Midori."

"How's things?"

"Everything is normal." The robotic girl reported evenly. "How are you doing?"

"I got to go to the beach today with all my friends!" Midori couldn't keep the cheer from her voice.

"No you didn't." Aigis retorted.

"Excuse me, yes I did!" Midori wondered why Aigis would be mean like that

"No you didn't, because you said you went with all your friends, and I didn't go. Unless I'm not your friend anymore?"

Warning sirens screamed in Midori's ear, even as something in Aigis' tone of voice said she was joking. But her worry was too strong. "That's not what I meant! I meant all my friends here in Inaba!"

"I am very disappointed in you." There was no way that tone of voice could be mistaken for anything but teasing. "I have news for you."

"Oh? Good news I hope. You found Akihiko so I can stop playing runaround with Chie?"

"Not that," Aigis admitted. "I was informed today that the Kirijo Corporation is going to be investing into research into artificial skin as part of their biomedical progam."

Midori was so confused that she was certain that there were question marks over her head. "Yes? And?"

"One of the hidden objectives of the program is to develop a proper synthetic covering for myself and any future siblings I may have, so that we don't have to wear clothes from the neck down all the time."

"Why would anyone have a problem with how you look?" Midori's confusion grew. "You're fine just the way you are."

Aigis paused, not sure how to respond for a moment. "Thank you," she said honestly. "But in addition to the obvious medical purposes, having it on me would allow me to interact with human society in a less disruptive manner."

Midori rubbed her forehead. This had all the hallmarks of a Mitsuru plan. Too much complication when a simple answer would do. "Is this what you want?"

"I... I am willing to go along with it."

"Aigis, we've been over this. Don't go sliding back on me. You are your own person. You are capable of making choices for yourself. Just because this is an option that Mitsuru is doing for you doesn't mean you have to go along with it."

"I am not going with this because Mitsuru has chosen too," Aigis was defensive. "This will be a project years in the making, and will benefit far more than I."

"That's not the point, Aigis." Midori tried to find the words, to explain to her that what they had fought for wasn't mere _existence_, but _life _itself. "Are you really being you when you when you're covering up like that?"

"And clothes aren't?"

"No!" Midori was quite forceful in her rejection of that idea. "No. Clothes are coverings, sure, but we can make of them what we want. Skin is... well, it's real. It's a person without hiding themselves." She knew this could be taken the wrong way, but she trusted herself and Aigis. "So look, think this over. And if you agree because you want this, I won't stop you."

"Very well."

A creak came from upstairs, and Midori threw her head up. "Hey Aigis, I'll be right back. Sounds like Nanako woke up. I'm going to check on her."

"Of course." Midori hung up and set the phone down. She walked up to the stairs and found Nanako coming down. "Hey!" she said, "My daddy and yours went out, so I'm here some more."

"Thirsty," Nanako mumbled as she walked carefully down the flight of steps. Midori backed up and headed for the kitchen to get some water for her.

"Here you go," she said as Nanako yawned. "Water for you." The young girl took the glass and drank deeply from it. "Feeling better?"

Nanako nodded. "Daddy's out again?"

"Yep, with my daddy though."

Nanako looked sad, so Midori kneeled down to her height. "Hey, want to come over to my house? There's something I want to show you."

"What is it?"

"Something that I think you need to see." Midori hated being mysterious like this, but it was the only way her spur of the moment plan could work. Well, it was less of a plan really, and more like an idea. "Don't worry, Big-sis has everything under control!"

Nanako nodded. "Alright."

**Komaki Household**

Midori flicked on the lights, giving Nanako a chance to get her first look at Midori's house. The two homes had the positions of the kitchen and living room reversed, which she was certain was going to trip her up one day if she kept up with the babysitting job.

Once Nanako had taken off her slippers, Midori led her past the living room and to the right, where a small closet had been converted into a minor shrine. Before opening the door, she made certain that she had the little girl firmly in front of her. "What's in here?" she asked, as though afraid of the answer.

Midori opened the door to show the small shrine to her mother. It was nothing out of the ordinary for a memorial, though the picture was a decade old. She plucked the picture and frame from its perch and sat down, careful to drag Nanako with her. "This is my mommy," she said, proving what she had told the little girl earlier in the week. "She's in the same place as your mommy, but she left way before you were born." Midori wasn't sure if Nanako would understand something like an event being twice as old as she was. And she was very careful not to say 'Heaven'.

Holding the picture down before Nanako, she rested her chin gently on the top of her head. "Daddy has one of these too, right?" Nanako didn't reply. "And you miss her. You want her back just like I did. You want your mommy to come home, right?"

"Uh huh."

"Well, I can't do that for you." Midori sighed despondently. "But what I can do it help. I know what you're going through, and I can help. I can be your Big Sister, and you can be my Little Sister, and that way our mommies can meet and they can be proud of us."

Nanako started fighting, to try and escape Midori's firm grip, but Midori was far to strong to let her go, and to gentle to let her. "Everything is going to be alright," she said softly, words told to her that she refused to believe as well echoed for Nanako's sake. "So Big Sister is here for you, because girls can tell girls things that they can't tell daddies. You can talk to me, and I won't be mean or rude."

She held Nanako in a hug firmly until she stopped squirming. "Sisters?"

"Yep." Midori agreed, knowing she hadn't won yet. "I can be your sister so that you can have some family while your daddy is away."

**Central Shopping District  
><strong>**Shiroku Pub****  
><strong>

Ryotaro wept softly, Mamrou's arm over his shoulder. "And we'll never find the bastard," he admitted. "He hit her and drove off, and he's not a local so he'll never come back."

It was, to the older man, better and worse than his own situation. On one hand, it was worse because he had no chance to make his peace with the death of his wife, but on the other hand, Ryotaro had it better because it was sudden. While he didn't like thinking it, a clean break was better than months of fading away and dealing with a daughter imploring everything and everyone she could to make her mommy feel better.

"I'm sure they would have gotten along splendidly," he said while wondering who had let his friend get this far without a good shoulder to lean on. When he found out, well, he may have a bad leg, but he could still kick the ass of anyone who pissed him off.

"I don't know what to do!" Ryotaro admitted into his drink, causing the bartender to become even more obviously busy with her cleaning. "She's so little and beautiful, and I have no idea how everything is going to work out."

"It will work out," Mamoru confirmed. "That's why we're here." He patted his friend on the back some more. "You can depend on me. I'm pretty sure you can depend on my little girl too."

"I don't want to burden you..." Ryotaro's voice trailed off as he just gave in to his sadness. "What do I tell her? I've told her Chisato's gone, but she won't believe me."

All too familiar. "Don't worry. You're a good father. She'll grow up, and you'll find the right words."

"What did you say?"

"I don't remember," Mamoru was honest. "But I had friends to help me through everything, so I'm going to be your friend too, and help you through all of this. It's not easy. But I can help you through."

"All I did was ask for a babysitter..."

"That you did, and you got so much more. Here, let's have another drink to celebrate our friendship. "Cause friends help friends."

**Dojima Residence  
><strong>**Night****  
><strong>

The two men came through the door, leaning on each other for support. "Nanako, I'm home!" Ryotaro called out as he and Mamoru struggled with their jackets and shoes. "Nanako?"

Midori came out of the living room, a stern glare on her face. "Daddy. Detective."

"You can call me Uncle!" Ryotaro said, betraying rosy cheeks and thick breath. "Uncle Ryotaro! Isn't that right?"

"I'm surprised you can speak straight," Midori retorted, having dealt with Daddy bringing home drunk co-workers in the past. "Remember what I said about coming home drunk?"

"I'm not drunk!" Mamoru objected. "He is!"

"I'm not! You are!" Ryotaro returned.

"You both are." Midori announced. "Now, you will both give me your car keys, and walk back over to my place where you will sleep."

"You can't kick me out of my house!"

"I can and I just did. I put Nanako to bed, and I don't want either of you to wake her up. You hear me?" She _glared_ at both of them, using everything in her arsenal that wasn't demonic to bend them to her will.

"We'll go! We'll go!" Mamoru broke first. "Come on, friend. We can go to my place and spend the night without any girls raining on us."

"But Nanako!"

"I'll take care of her!" Midori countered, focusing on Dojima. "Now _march_!" she hissed.

"We're going! We're going!" Mamoru dragged Ryotaro out, but Midori didn't relax until she heard them turn the corner. Then she groaned. They both forgot their shoes here.


	7. 15 June 2010 to 08 July 2010

**15 June 2010  
><strong>**Yasogami High School, Gymnasium  
><strong>**After School**

"You gotta tell me!" Chie pleaded with Midori as she helped her senior put away the tennis club's equipment. "Please! Tell me how you did it!"

Midori wanted to berate herself for her foolishness, but nothing would come of it. She had made a mistake, and was now suffering through the results of it. "No."

"You have to! You promised you'd teach me, and I want to learn that!"

"What makes you think you can even learn it in the first place? If it was easy, then wouldn't more people be able to do it?"

"I know! But I'm the best in town. And none of the clubs are good enough for me." That much wasn't completely true as some of the other captains had approached Midori to 'deal' with the errant student who was not a fit for any of the current sports clubs. She had accepted, though she had no clue how to go about doing it.

How to create a 'fighting' aura. That was what was being demanded of her. Her impromptu show with Frosty had unforeseen consequences. "This isn't like learning from a video," she said, trying to find some line that would work. "You don't just practise a kick for, like, a thousand times, and suddenly you can intimidate people."

Chie rolled her eyes. "Duh! That's why you got to teach me! Please!"

Different track then. "How social are you?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Answer the question!"

"I've got Yukiko as my friend, and a couple others."

"That's part of the problem right there."

"Huh? What does being social and having friends have to do with martial arts?"

Midori sighed. "Alright, let me explain this in simple words then. It's. Not. Physical. It. Is. Mental. You can't intimidate people if you don't know them, how they think, and how they feel at a glance." She looked around to make sure they weren't being spied upon. "I can do it because I'm good enough at reading people that I can make myself as threatening as possible with as little action as possible. The rest," she tapped Chie on the forehead, "is up here."

"WHA!?"

"And that's why you can't learn it," Midori was confident that her instructions had no applicability toward the actual goal, but rather, if Chie went for it, she would be out of her hair personally and being nicer to a whole lot of other people. Multiple problems with one action!

"That's your summer goal. Make friends, get to know how people think and act and react to what you do. If. IF! I see improvement, then I can teach you the next step."

"You're seriously going to leave me for months!"

"Satonaka!" Midori snapped at her, glad there was no one around to witness the outburst. "You think this is easy? That I just wave a magic wand and you learn a new technique? That there is some scroll to read?"

"Well..."

"No. It's not." Midori sighed, treading on poor ground. "So I'm giving you an assignment, and I expect you to carry it out. If you can't even do that, I'll make sure you never reach your goal."

**Front Gate**

Saki looked at her friend as the two of them headed for the Shopping District, and Midori's part-time job. "You look annoyed."

"I am."

"Why?"

"Chie Satonaka."

"Ah." That was all that was to be said really. The first year was something else. "Oh, hey, look. Some boy is going for the Challenge."

True to expectation, the two of them stopped and watched as some poor first year approached Yukiko Amagi and offered to be in a relationship with her, only to be ignorantly shot down in flames.

"And another one bites the dust," Midori said in English. "Why is it that she gets all the offers anyways?"

"Well," Saki said, "apparently the guys have decided that you are not to be approached until Yukiko is taken. Something about the proper order of things."

Midori turned on her friend, aghast. "Really?"

"Yes."

"Oh god, there goes my chances of a boyfriend before University."

**06 July 2010  
><strong>**Central Shopping District  
><strong>**Evening**

Kanji locked the door behind him, having already sent his Ma home with the usual promise that he would have everything cleaned up. Giving the shutters one more shake for good measure, he checked his bag and started to walk down to the bottom of the hill, where he would turn to head home.

"Yo, dude. You got a moment?" Kanji turned around, not recognizing the voice. Behind him was a man who was slouching, looking around like he was either lost, or looking for something. But something about him just screamed that he was dangerous.

"What can I help you with?" Kanji was bigger than this guy, and if worst came to worse, he knew he could take him, or make his life miserable. But first, he had to be polite. No sense in giving people the idea that he was a delinquent before hitting high-school.

"Hey man. Name's Tadashi Nikaido. Friends call me Kaido. I'm from out of town, and I'm looking for a... friend. I've got the address, but I don't know where that is." Kaido reached into his pocket and pulled out a slip of paper which he handed over to Kanji.

Taking it, Kanji read it and thought the address looked familiar. Like it was for someone who worked in the district...

Then it clicked. It was where the Priestess lived!

"She has a boyfriend?" He said aloud as he handed the paper back to Kaido. "Never knew that."

"He was my brother, actually." Kaido admitted. "I'm just in town checking up on her, then I'm headed back to Tokyo."

Kanji felt something was off about this. "It's on my way home, I'll show you." That way, if something went wrong, he would be right there to help out. He could show this Kaido person where, then stick around, just in case.

The two of them walked toward the address, not talking to each other. There wasn't a need for pleasant conversation, though the sky looked like it was going to rain, so Kanji kept his umbrella handy, just in case.

They arrived, and Kaido bowed politely to Kanji, who returned the gesture. "Thanks, man. I owe you one."

"I don't know if they're home," Kanji warned, already having picked out a spot to wait near the apartment.

"If she isn't, then that's no biggie. I can come back in a couple weeks." Kanji looked at the apartment door, girding himself for action. Then it started to rain.

Looking up, he let the water wash over him. "You know what? Showing up wet when it's raining ain't the best thing for me. I'll try again tomorrow." He turned to Kanji, "Hey man, can you tell me where I can find a hotel or someplace I can go for the night?"

Kanji relaxed. "Yeah, sure." And if they were walking away, then he had no problems sharing his umbrella. As long as no one saw them.

**Tatsumi Residence**

Kanji stepped in, shaking out his umbrella. After seeing Kaido off, he rushed home, plan already in place. "Hey Ma?"

"Yes, dear?" His mother said from the kitchen. "How was closing?"

"Good. Hey, you got the phone number for the girl who runs the shrine?" He knew that she probably did, being on the Business Association.

"Of course. Why?" There was a hint of worry in her voice.

"Some dude came by the store after I closed up. Had her address, and said he was the brother of her boyfriend. He went to a hotel after it started raining though. I figured I'd give her a call and let her know before he heads there in the morning."

His mother came out of the kitchen, drying her hands. "You're right. I'll make the call, and we'll see if we can sort this out. What was the man's name?"

"Tadashi Nikaido."

**Komaki Residence**

The doorbell rang, and Mamoru got up from his work to answer. Midori was over at Ryotaro's place this evening, so he wasn't expecting any of her friends to show up unannounced. It may be one of the neighbours though, so he made sure that he was presentable when he opened the door.

"Amane?" He said surprised, doubly so when he glimpsed the small bag held behind her under rain beating on her umbrella. "Come in, come in." He invited the priestess in, taking the bag from her. He knew there was a problem. "What's happening?"

"Is Midori here?" She asked as she collapsed her umbrella and placed it in the stand. "I need to ask a favour of her."

"Well, if it involves borrowing a room for the night, you're welcome to it." Mamoru said without needing anything else. "But Midori's a couple doors down, babysitting."

"Ah, the Dojima's. Yes, I know the place." Amane looked awkwardly at the father of her friend. "You don't want to know why?"

Mamoru gave her a glare. "You show up at my home with a bag and in the rain, I'm going to be the polite host first, then get the details later. Did you want some tea? Or hot chocolate?"

"Tea, please. Are you sure I won't be a bother?"

"Nah. We have the room to spare. The people who built this house gave me way more than was needed for just the two of us." He showed her to the living room before returning to the kitchen to prepare the drinks. "You want me to call her over? I'm sure that if Nanako isn't in bed already, she'll take of that right quick."

"No, that won't be necessary."

Amane watched the news on the television as Mamoru returned with the kettle and tea. "So, you ready to explain why the sudden change in sleeping arrangements?"

"Ah," Amane had taken the time to think this particular request through. "You know that I board with Mari?"

"Mari-sensei? Yes." He poured out enough for the both of them. "She kicked you out?"

"No, not like that." She sighed. "Rather there is a man in town from Tokyo whom she does not want to see. He already knows where she lives, and rather than have me involved, asked me to step out for a day or so until she gets this sorted out."

Mamoru didn't like that one bit. "Well, you're welcome in our house." He said, knowing that his daughter wouldn't have a problem with that at all. I can set you up to share with Midori, if you don't mind."

"As long as she doesn't." Amane was glad that she had chosen rightly for her first pick. "Thank you again for your kindness." She bowed as was proper.

"Of course," Mamoru replied. "It is only proper." He looked up at the clock. "If you'll excuse me though, I'll head upstairs and take care of some things. Help yourself to the tea." He stood and headed for the second floor. "Just call if you need anything."

"Thank you."

**Yasoinaba Police Station**

Detective Kodai put down the phone. "Hey, Shoji!" He called out down the row of tables. "You remember that call we got from the Tatsumi family?"

"Yes. About the guy from out of town?" Officer Shoji was taken the call at the front desk earlier in the evening, though it had been decided to do nothing about it at this time as nothing criminal had happened yet.

"Well, we just got a call from the Komaki's,"

"The who?"

"They live like, three doors down from Ryotaro. The daughter is Ryo's babysitter."

"Oh! Right! I think I remember them."

"Well, I just got a call from them on Ryo's line. It seems like the Miko who lives with the doctor, the one that our out-of-towner was looking for, found out about this guy and decided that she needed to crash over at the Komaki place instead."

That got the younger officer's attention. "That doesn't sound good."

"No. It doesn't. Go to the break room and grab Dojima and maybe a couple volunteers. We're going to straighten this mess out."

**Inaba Municipal Hospital**

Mari looked down town the long counter that was her duty station for the night. "Ueharu-san?" she asked, addressing the night shift head nurse, "How is the paperwork coming along?"

"Slowly," the nurse replied. "I keep getting distracted by Room 304." She flipped over one sheet of paper on her clipboard to start on the next. "And I have another round to make in 5 minutes."

"You keep working on that," Mari said, indicating the never-finished pile of papers. "I'll do the rounds for you."

Nurse Ueharu only nodded. "Thank you, doctor."

Mari's preparations for that were, however, stopped when the elevator across from her dinged and two police officers stepped out. She recognized the elder as Kodai, while the younger man, still middle-aged, she thought she knew, but couldn't place a name to it. "Detectives," she bowed in greeting, seeing the nurse start to straighten things out with the new presence. "How can we help you?"

Kodai glanced down at Ueharu, who caught the intent and stepped away. "I'll start the rounds," she announced, sorry that her work got interrupted, but not so much that she felt bad with the two detectives here to talk to the Doctor. That was never a good sign.

"Do you know a 'Kaido'?" Kodai asked quietly, but driving straight to the heart of the matter.

Mari froze for a moment, which was enough of an answer that the old detective needed. "Damn." He reached for his radio. "Shoji? Head for her place and keep an eye out."

"Wait? What? What's going on?" Mari demanded, though not loudly as there were still patients on her floor.

"We had a call earlier tonight that a man by that name was looking for you, and had your address. The citizen was suspicious, but we weren't going to do anything until the Miko found out."

"Amane? Is she safe?" Mari was honestly worried now, far too many visions of things going wrong in her head.

"She is," the other detective said. "She's with the Komaki family right now. Apparently a message got left on their answering machine from said citizen, and she reacted by getting out of the apartment. Once we found out about that, we couldn't sit by."

Amane was with Midori. That was a relief.

"Do you want to talk somewhere private?" Kodai offered gently.

"No, No." Mari leaned against the counter. "I'm sorry, I should have expected this."

"Well, give us a reason, and we'll make sure that this man spends the night in a cell," the old man offered.

"No!" Mair looked up in shock. Kodai was _serious _about his offer. "Let me explain first."

She told them that he was actually the brother of her boyfriend, one who had been killed over a year previously. He had taken his promise to look after her to his brother very seriously, and while he wasn't a nice person, he wasn't about to harm her, or anyone.

"Then why did the priestess leave your place?" Kodai asked.

"She has met him before, and they do not like each other," Mari lied. "And I don't think she wanted to meet him again, nor get between him checking up on me."

"So," Dojima said as he checked his notes, "you're saying that we don't need to do anything? That this is still a domestic issue?"

Mari nodded. "He's likely in town just to see how I'm doing, then will leave once he's assured of my well-being."

Kodai and Dojima shared a glance. "Alright then. We'll call back our men from your apartment and relax." He bowed slightly. "Sorry for the rudeness, but we had to be sure."

"Of course. Have a good evening, both of you." Mari said. "Now I just have to call Amane and let her know she can not worry."

The two detectives returned to the elevator, and waited for the doors to close before speaking. "So, we headed for the hotel now?" Ryotaro asked.

"I'm not sure. She obviously doesn't want to talk to this Kaido person. This could just be us over reacting."

Dojima could see the point. "Sure, which it would be except that Amane decided it was better to leave the apartment."

"Perhaps we should talk to her then?"

"Midori is at my place, so I think we can do a quick interview before she comes home." Ryotaro didn't like the idea of coming to his friend's house like this, but couldn't see an option.

"Don't worry, Ryo. We'll just confirm the story, then apologize to people for the reaction." He pulled out his radio. "Shoji, change of plans. We've got an interview out of the way, and it's just a domestic. We're going to take care of the rest of it, so you guys can head back to the station. Thanks for coming out."

"Of course Detective," the rain over Shoji was clear on the channel. "Are you heading back yourselves?"

"Not yet, we just have a loose end to clear up first."

**Komaki Residence**

The doorbell rang again, and this time, Mamoru was expecting it. "I'll be right back," he told Amane, before answering it.

"Detectives," He greeted the two men formally. "I'm sorry for this."

"There is no problem," Kodai said as he stepped in. "Ryo, why don't you go check on your daughter? I'll talk with the Priestess, and with just me and not both of us, this won't be official."

"You sure?"

"Go!" Kodai gestured, smiling. "The less official this is, the quicker it gets done."

Ryotaro fought with himself, duty versus family, before family won out with the permission of his superior. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Kodai let himself be led around the corner and into the living room, where Amane was looking at him with a mix of annoyance and more annoyance. "Is this really necessary?" Her question was marked by a sharp glare at Mamoru.

"Don't blame him, we actually got a couple calls about this. We just want to make sure that this isn't really an issue before we all get back to work."

The priestess crossed her arms. "What do you want to know?"

"What is the relation between Kaido and Mari-sensei?"

"He's her former fiancé's brother."

"Thank you." Kodai bowed. "Just had to confirm that. "Just so you know though, that if this does become a problem, we're available to resolve it." He stepped back to allow Mamoru to re-enter the living room. "I'll be off then."

**07 July 2010**

**Central Shopping District**

**After School**

"Ah, there you are!" Midori and Saki stopped as they passed by the Tatsumi store. The matron of that place stepped out and greeted the two girls. "Midori-chan, thank you again for letting poor Amane stay at your place."

"It was my father's doing," Midori said, still annoyed her her daddy for what he did. Offer Amane a room for the night? Gladly! Share with Midori herself? Acceptable. Getting the police involved? She was still sore over that, partly a reflection of Amane's response.

"Be that as it may, it was good of you to get involved and help." The woman bowed. "Do let us know if there is anything else that needs to be done."

"Of course," Midori replied. "But if you'll excuse me, I need to get to my job quickly." She pointed a finger up the road. "Saki is waiting impatiently."

"Ah yes. Well, have a nice day."

**Konishi Liqueurs  
><strong>**Evening**

Mister Konishi watched as Midori attacked the floor with a furiousness he hadn't seen before. News of the man looking for the Shrine Maiden last night had spread through the entire district, and that she had retreated to the Komaki place while that man and the doctor talked was an open secret. "You alright?" he asked, wincing slightly as she almost slammed the mop back into the bucket.

"I'm fine. Annoyed with daddy, but that will pass."

That was that then. He knew exactly what he had to do, and letting her mop her frustrations away wasn't it. "I've got deliveries to make, Midori. Finish what you've got there, and meet me out back. You're going to help."

That got her attention. "What?"

"Just what I said," he repeated. "Saki's busy, so I'd like you to help with the deliveries."

"Oh." Midori was surprised. "Alright."

About fifteen minutes later, Midori was at the back of the store, helping to load some crates into the family truck. It wasn't hard work, just repetitive as she had to help load up a couple hundred bottles in various states of packaging. "Where does all this go anyways?"

"Places," Konishi replied as he shuffled stuff around. "You're coming with me, so you'll start to learn."

"Hold on," Midoir objected as she handed off the next set of bottles. "I'm coming with you?"

"Yep!"

"But I just clean!"

"Yes, and there's more to everything than that."

"But cleaning! And homework!"

"And Naoki is being punished a bit, so you're coming along."

Oh. It wasn't her then. "Alright. Do I need anything?"

"Nothing special."

Soon Midori was riding in the passenger seat as the small truck pulled out of the back alley, then turned out onto the road. "How long is this going to take?"

"No more than an hour then. Plenty of time for us to get back, have supper, then the two of you to work on your schoolwork." Midori nodded in response.

About halfway through, the two of them had finished delivering a few cases of beer to one of the local farms when Konishi tossed Midori the keys. "Get it, I'm going to show you how to drive."

"What!?" Midori cried out as she held the things in her hand, looking at them like they were going to bite her. "Drive? I'm 16!"

"Yes, and that's a good age to start," he replied as he walked past her to the passenger side of the truck. "I've already cleared it with your Pa, and he thinks it's a good idea. Something about being able to have you drive him to the train station, and back."

"But!" She looked at the keys, fixated on them. "Why wouldn't he teach me?"

Konishi shrugged. "Doesn't have the time, I suppose. I did make him promise that he would be there when you get your license. Until then, we have a large stretch of empty road, and practice ahead of us."

**08 July 2010  
><strong>**Central Shopping District, Tatsuhime Shrine  
><strong>**After School**

"Why do I have to feed the Fox?" Midori grumbled as she pulled out the meat that Amane had asked her to get. In the wake of Kaido's visit, the three of them had, well, not reacted well, though for different reasons. Amane was scared that he had found out about her, and when that was proven false, she tried to relax, but just couldn't.

"And of course she wants to stay the extra night at my place," Midori looked around for the local land-demon, "Hey, Fox! Food!" She held up the offerings while waiting for the thing to arrive.

And while Mari was better off, she was still a little shaken that he had come all the way out to Yasoinaba to check up on her. That the _police_ had gotten involved due to the reactions of certain people just made things worse, and she had taken a day off from the hospital to cool down.

Leaving Midori, who was still feeling sick that Kaido was in town, and that he was... well... she didn't know how to react to that, except that she did feel sick.

"I hope I'm not really sick," she commented to no one in particular as she started to circle the shrine, looking for that damned Fox. "That would just suck."

Having circled the shrine, and made her way back to the donation box, she took a quick glimpse inside to see if it was sleeping in there instead. No, it wasn't. She sighed. "Great. No fox either. Probably at my place lounging in the yard or something while Amane sulks."

Of course_ she_ couldn't get out of her commitments as easily as the other two. And there was no way she was going to react badly around Nanako, now that she was watching over her a few nights a week. So she just had to bury her desires and be someone who wasn't directly affected by this at all.

"You're here too?" Kaido said, honestly surprised. "Shit, I shouldn't be here."

Midori froze at the sound of the voice, but with the realization that yes, it was him, and yes, he was standing right behind her, she lashed out.

A quick straight punch almost connected with Kaido's face as she spun around. But he barely had time to react as he jerked backwards. "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Peace!" He stepped back again as Midori looked like she was going to rip his throat out. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you were here."

"Get out, you murderer." She hissed as she advanced one step toward him, forcing Kaido back a step to avoid getting into range of a fight. "Leave!"

"I'm leaving! I'm leaving!" Kaido didn't turn and run, but he did back out onto the street where Midori stopped on the edge of the shrine. "I'm sorry. I really am."

"Get out!"

Kaido left, not saying another thing, but not running either.

Kanji watched this from the front of the store, though he didn't hear much of anything, it was easy to see what was happening. "Ma, I'm stepping out for a moment." He didn't bother removing the apron as he jogged down the hill to the shrine.

Midori was still standing there, shaking like a tree in a storm, more than shivering, less than spasming. She didn't see Kanji as he came up to her, instead turning back into the shrine and walking off the path toward a tree.

"Hey, Midori-san?" He asked as she punched the tree. Hard. He winced at the force of the hit as it rattled the tree's branches. He didn't expect the girl to be so strong, not with those arms of hers.

"Hey?" He said again, a little louder as she hit this poor tree again. "Oh, to hell with this." Midori wound up for a third strike when Kanji grabbed her arm with one hand. She may have surprising strength, but that was no match to his. "Stop it before you hurt yourself!"

Midori rounded on him, twisting in his light grip to slap him. The strike was sharp, and little painful, but Kanji put on his best impassive demeanour and took it.

Then she saw who she had hit, and Midori lost all tension as she realized what she had done. "Oh no! Sorry!" She looked at Kanji's face, where the red mark of her strike was still forming. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

Kanji let her go. "I kinda brought that on myself, what with grabbing you like that." He apologized honestly. "But what the hell happened? That guy do anything to you?" He was already considering chasing him down and laying into the out-of-towner, all he needed was an excuse.

It wouldn't help his reputation though, but who cares about that?

"No, nothing like that." Midori slouched, knowing that poor Kanji was just trying to help, even if he didn't know all the details. Couldn't know all the details either. "It's just... I can't talk about it."

That set off more alarms in Kanji's head. And looking at the girl in front of him, he knew what he had to do. "Why don't you head on up to the store," he offered. "Get something to drink from Ma." He looked around. "I'll take care of things here, then be right back."

Kanji gently led her to the entrance to the shrine, and gave her a slight shove up the hill to set her in motion. Then he slipped off his apron and started to walk down past the other stores. He was going to have a talk with this man from Tokyo.

**Samegawa Flood Plain**

Kaido was many things, but an unobservant idiot wasn't one of them. He knew he was being followed, and rather than hop on the bus for the train station like he had intended to do (why he stayed the extra day, he had no idea. Although he had decided to justify it to his guys when he got back as saying quite truthfully that the place was beautiful when it wasn't raining).

Out on the open ground of the riverbank, he chose to make a stand.

"Something you want?" He said, turning around to face his pursuer, the young man who helped him out two nights ago.

"Yeah. What's up with you?"

The crazy cosplay girl has a boyfriend, Kaido concluded. Great. "Look, friend, I didn't do anything. There's just some bad blood between your girlfriend and me, and I decided to walk away rather than get into a fight over it."

Kanji was confused. Girlfri... "She's not!" He objected. "Look, what ever you did"

Kaido stopped him right there. "Whatever I did? Look man, you don't know what I did. And you really don't. What happened between me and that girl," he wasn't about to make the mistake of their relation again, "stays between us. It's for her and I to deal with or leave alone. Not for some man like yourself to get involved in."

"That ain't the impression I got." Kanji said, taking in the smaller Kaido. He knew he shouldn't get into a fight, but if the rumours going around were true, the cops would pretty much turn a blind eye for once.

But Kaido wasn't in for a fight, even as he sized up his opponent. Not someone he would want to get into a scrape with, even if the other guy didn't have a massive home-ground advantage. It would be better to run.

"I don't know what impression you got, but I'll say it again. What's between me and her is between me and her. She don't need no samurai to defend her." Kaido kept his hands in his pockets to avoid escalating. He could tell that this guy was ready for a fight, but wasn't willing to throw the first punch either. It was good control, and on another day, he would be impressed with it. But not when he was the target. "Look," he said calmly, "I'm leaving. I'm going to hop on the bus and go to the train station and _leave_. You can come with me to make sure, if you want." He extended the invitation honestly. "And that way you'll be sure I'm gone."

**Tatsumi Textiles**

"No," Kanji's mother said as Midori finished her drink. "I don't think he'll start anything. He's such a nice boy."

Midori put down the cup, still shaking just a little. "I'm not worried about that. It's just... just..."

"My dear," she said, reaching out to put a calming hand on the teenager, "things will turn out for the best."

Midori didn't know what to say, her thoughts were just a massive jumble as far too many feelings and actions came rambling around. "Did you want me to call your uncle, as your father is out of town?" The matriarch offered kindly to her. "He can come pick you up."

"No, no." Midori didn't connect the word 'Uncle' with Dojima for a moment, but still made the negative. "It was just a bad surprise, and I reacted badly." Her apologetic explanation fell flat even as they passed her lips. But thankfully, Mrs. Tatsumi didn't seem to object. "I think I'll just head home and relax."

"You do that," she was gently commanded. "I'll talk with Kanji when all this is over."


	8. 10 July 2010 to 31 July 2010

**10 July 2010**

**Yasogami High School, Gymnasium**

**Afternoon**

Although school was out for the summer, certain facilities were open for use by the student clubs. This included the Gym for sports clubs, which Midori had found useful as she scheduled as much time as she could reasonably get for her club.

Of course, a couple of her members couldn't attend everything, given that they were helping with their family farms or the like. She didn't mind, and made it clear that she didn't think less of them for it. Eri and Saki were the only ones who could join her, for regular practice.

"So," she asked as she thwocked the ball against the wall. "I need to know if either of you are coming with me to Tokyo in a month. Gotta get the paperwork filed."

Saki was quick to reply as she volleyed against Eri. "Sorry. Can't. Too much to do at home." She missed the return and walked to pick up the bouncing green ball.

"Eri?" Midori asked as she slammed her racket against the ball, the poor abused thing sailing in a nearly straight line. "What about you?"

"Mom and dad are worried," the brown haired girl replied as she set up a serve. "They don't like the idea of me being in the big city by myself."

"Even though you're going with me, and I know the city, and am staying with some of my daddy's co-workers?"

"I think," Eri paused to return the volley, "that if you dad talked to my parents, they would relent."

"Alright," Midori said. "I'll get that done." She kept pounding at the ball, venting frustrations and emotions into it that she couldn't anywhere else. "Any other issues I need to fix while I'm at it?"

"Well, you could try to get the boys to stop staring," Saki said, nodding with her head toward where a couple of males were tying not top be too obvious about watching the three of them while running around with a basketball.

Midori laughed. "What? Jealous?"

Saki missed the volley with the distraction. "No! Well, I mean, I just wonder what getting a big city boyfriend would be like."

"Probably just the same as a small town boyfriend," Midori replied flatly, "just without the travel time involved."

Eri pointed out the obvious. "Trust Midori-sempai on this, Saki! She lived in Tokyo, remember?"

Saki nodded, setting up the serve. "Yes, then she moved back here, remember?"

**14 July 2010**

**Yasoinaba, Residential Street**

**Evening**

"Come on, big sis!" Nanako tugged at Midori's shirt, wanting to get home sooner rather than later. She was going to help cook tonight! And Daddy and Uncle were going to be there! Everyone was going to be together!

"I'm coming, little sis," Midori replied. "But I don't want to rush or else I'll drop the food." It was quite truthful as the evening's meal was heavy in her bag. That Nanako was carrying some as well was helpful, but the little girl was far more energetic than her honorary sibling, and was also carrying proportionally less.

As they turned a corner, two older ladies who were enjoying their evening of gardening took a small break. "That's nice," one said to the other.

"Sisters like that?" The other replied as she checked her gloves for any insects that may have gotten onto it.

"Well yes. Poor Nanako, with her dead mother."

"Ah yes," the other lady knew, but couldn't remember where she heard it, that Midori's mother had also passed on. "I'm so glad the two halves of that family reconciled."

The first looked at the second. "What do you mean?"

The second looked at the first. "Didn't you hear? They're both children of the same mother! Midori is older, and was raised by her father, while Nanako was born here, to the man she finally married!"

The first was taken aback. "Seriously? Where did you hear that?"

The second's reply was quick. "Oh come on, look at the way those two love each other and tell me they aren't related. They're half-sisters if a yen."

"That almost sounds like one of our daytime dramas. Are you sure you're not going senile?"

"Oh no I'm not! Just you see!"

**29 July 2010**

**Yasoinaba Train Station**

**Morning**

"Nana-chi, let go." Midori tried to pry her off her leg, but the little girl refused to let go. "I'm only going away for the weekend. I'll be back on Monday!" She tried a little harder, but the slight tears in Nanako's eyes made any effort fall flat on its face.

Thankfully, her daddy was there to see her off, and rescue her as well. Mamoru gently pried Nanako away from Midori, and passing her off to her father. "There, big-sis will be home soon. She's just going to Tokyo for a competition."

"And I'll call you every day," Midori tried to explain, knowing now that Nanako wasn't taking this all that well.

"Come on!" Eri called out from closer to the train. "We've got to get good seats!"

Midori sighed, then shifted her attention to the two adults. "Now, you two be careful. I'll be back on Monday evening." To her father. "Daddy, don't worry about not being home when I get back. Saki's parents have already agreed to pick us up, so don't skip out on work." To Ryotaro. "Uncle, make sure Nanako goes to bed after I'm done calling her. If you're out at work, Saki or Kanako will be willing to babysit. I put their numbers on the phone, just let them know."

The two men nodded. "Time for you to go," Mamoru said as he embraced his daughter. "And don't forget to kick all their butts and win."

"I will. Bye!" She waved at Nanako, who pouted and buried her face in her father's chest. "I'll call you when I get there," she said gently. "It'll be in the afternoon, so make sure you have a good lunch, alright?"

"Midori!" Eri called out again. "Come on!"

Midori took a step back, then bowed again quickly to the trio before rushing to the train. Once she was on board, she went to her seat and looked out the window to wave at the three of them before the vehicle started to pull out.

Then they left the station, and Midori slumped into her seat.

"Wow," Eri commented, "I'm glad my parents didn't react like that."

"Daddy and Uncle Ryotaro didn't either. It was just Nanako." Midori shuffled in her seat, the energy of the departing slowly leaking away, and returning her to her normal morning routine – napping. "Wake me when it's time for lunch." She curled up in her seat, and to Eri's amazement, was gently snoring within a couple minutes.

"Great," the younger member of the tennis club complained. "Now who am I going to play cards with?"

**30 July 2010**

**Tokyo**

**Morning**

Midori and Eri, dressed in their sports uniforms, descended into the Tokyo Metro on their way to the tournament. "You sure we can't take the Yamanote Line?" Eri asked as she adjusted the shoulder strap on her bag. "It would be faster."

"Very sure," Midori replied, having found plenty of reasons to not enter that area even almost a year later. "They're still rebuilding."

Eri didn't want to argue with the girl who actually lived in the city. "So, there's like, a couple hours between registration and the first matches this after noon. Can we do a little shopping before then?"

Midori turned her head without stopping, old habits coming back. "Really? Shopping?"

Eri nodded.

"Good, because it would have been awkward if I tried to bring it up. There's a few places near the stadium that I know of. We can stop by there, get some lunch, and be back in time for the preliminaries."

"You mean your prelims," Eri corrected. "I get a weekend of pickup games and cheering you on from the crowds."

Midori purchased tickets for the both of them, and passed one to her friend. "Sure, but you're going to have to play some games to start with to get to know the people who will go out with you. And there will be scouts out there too."

Eri just laughed. "Scouts? Me? I know I'm on the team and all, but let's be honest here. This is all about you. I'm just along for the free trip into the city with no parents!"

Midori wanted to groan in annoyance, but stifled it as their train arrived. "I do know people," she threatened. "And you are staying with friends of my daddy, so we need to behave."

"You're no fun," Eri said, sticking her tongue out at Midori in the process of boarding the train. "So, know anyone at the meet?"

"Just a couple from Gekkoukan. The Captain, Rio, and their star player, Aigis."

"Isn't Aigis the girl you talk to every Saturday?"

"Yep. She's good. Real good. And to be honest, there's no way anyone could beat her."

"That's some serious competition."

"Tell me about it," Midori admitted. "I'm gonna get beaten left right and center."

Eri put a comforting hand on her Captain's shoulder. "Hey, at least it'll be by the best, right?"

Midori could only sigh. "Sure. It could be worse."

**Sports Center**

**Afternoon**

Midori finally left the long line of registrants, number in hand. She waved to Eri, who was hanging out with a group of others who weren't participating. Eri waved back, then apologized to her fellows before coming over to Midori. "How did it go?"

"Oh, the usual," Midori responded, even though this was her first proper tournament. "Waited in line, gave them my name and school, got a card," she waved the last in her hand, "so I don't forget what number I am, as well as acting as a pass for the participant areas."

But Eri had stopped paying attention as she looked over Midori's shoulder. Midori froze, knowing what this had to be. It was only natural. She had been in town for over 24 hours, of _course_ her fans would be coming to see her. "How many?" she asked Eri. Her response would depend on how large a group she had to deal with. Time to be Dolly again!

"Three," Eri replied. "One of them has white hair and... ear muffs? Who wears ear muffs in August?"

"I do," Aigis said from behind Midori, shocking her younger friend into dropping her plans. "Hello Midori."

"AIGIS!" Spinning, Midori threw herself at her friend. Aigis was able to easily take her momentum and embrace. "HowareyouhowareyoudoingThat'saniceuniform!"

Prying Midori off of her, Aigis smiled. "It's good to see you too." She looked up. "You must be Eri. Thank you for helping Midori," Aigis bowed politely.

"Oh, no problem!" Eri returned the gesture. "You're Aigis? You're prettier than I expected."

From beside Aigis, Rio coughed. "What? No love for your Captain?"

Chidori huffed, "She's not on the team."

Midori looked back and forth at the three of them. "Hello, Rio-sempai." She bowed formally. "Hey Chidori! I don't see Junpei." She made an exaggeration of looking around. "He here?"

"He wasn't allowed on the floor," Rio replied, "so he's waiting in the stands somewhere."

That explained it. He wasn't a competitor, or on the team in general. "Ah." Midori looked around at everyone. "So, how about we go get something to eat before the first rounds start." She looked up at the clock. "We have about an hour. Enough time to catch up with everyone."

"Midori," Aigis said, "We talk every week."

"What makes you think that's enough time?"

**Food Court**

The place served cheap food, so no one ordered much. Aigis naturally declined. Sitting around the white plastic table in the uncomfortable chairs, the five girls talked casually. Eri was busy talking to Aigis and Rio about their club, while Midori was trying to prevent Chidori from panicking at the lack of Junpei.

_Months_ of work, and she still clung to him like every moment was their last. While cute and endearing in moderation, she felt that Chidori still held it far too close to her heart. "He must have stopped by a washroom," she said, reaching out to the red haired girl who was looking around anxiously.

"Maybe he got lost. Or hurt. His shoulder could be acting up." Chidori wasn't about to lose it exactly, but she certainly wasn't holding it in either.

Eri saw this, but ignored it. There would be plenty of time to find out what was going on there later. "What do you do with your hair, Aigis-san?" She couldn't use a more casual honorific with her captain's senior.

Self consciously, Aigis touched some of her white hair. She had been asked this before, at school, but the fascination others had with her physical structure was something she still wasn't used too. She doubted she ever would. "Nothing unusual. I wash it. Clean it. It just comes that way." The technically accurate response also avoided mentioning her artificial nature.

Eri pouted. Another typical response. "I wish I had hair like that. You're lucky."

"Iori!" Rio called out, waving one hand in the air. "Over here!"

The group turned to face the young man, who approached with several bags over his shoulders. "Hey. You all left your stuff behind, and I didn't want to risk any of it." He came closer and smiled when he saw Midori. "Hey there, long time no see. I grabbed your bag too." He indicated one under his right arm. "And you must be Eri. This one has your name on it, and was on top of Midori's so I felt safe in grabbing it."

Chidori stood and started to grab at the bags. "Put them down," she hissed. "You'll hurt yourself."

"No, I won't." Junpei still set down the five sports bags gently before greeting Eri. "I'm Junpei."

Eri looked at Chidori, amazed and worried. "You brought your boyfriend?!"

"No, she didn't." Junpei said as Rio and Midori reacted poorly. "Well, yes, I am," he admitted to the relationship, "but I'm actually in town for other reasons, and the timing was too perfect."

Eri nodded in understanding as Chidori pulled over a chair for Junpei to sit in beside her. "You could have called," she said, worried still. "You needn't have done all that by yourself."

"So, Eri, if you're not in the tourney, would you like to stick with Chidori?" Rio asked of the youngest person at the table. "This is both your first time in Tokyo, I think."

Eri nodded. "But I don't want to get in the way of anything..." Her voice trailed off as Midori rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry." The pointed at Chidori and Junpei, who were sitting with seats touching, "those two won't do anything improper. Will they?" She asked sternly, making certain there would be nothing untoward happening away from adult supervision.

They at least had the decency to blush.

**31 July 2010**

**Tokyo**

**Lunchtime**

'Lunch' wasn't at a set time, but rather whenever someone had a break from the constant matches. Due to the necessity of trying to fit in so many players and matches in 3 and a half days, the games were not played to the international standard.

Rather, they were best of three, each set to 6 points, no advantage. The top players with the most wins or the best win percentage would advance to the single elimination rounds of 16 players for the last day and a half. Tiebreakers determined by point differential.

Midori had already played two games today. 6-5, 3-6, 6-2 with the other being 6-4, 6-4. To keep things a bit fairer, at least half a person's matches were random draws of people who were ready and available, while the other matches could be agreed upon by the competitors, who would wait for an open court.

In short, it was chaos, but somehow working. Looking at the master board, she saw that she was currently 62nd out of the 80 participants. Rio was ranked 37th, while Aigis was 2nd. First place was currently held by a person who had a one-game advantage over Aigis from yesterday.

At least the pickup casual games outside were a lot easier to deal with, though none of the competitors would go out there.

Midori gulped down her water, then tossed the bottle into the recycle, ready to return to the organizer's table to put her name in for the next round of draws.

"Midori," Aigis said, coming up from behind. "I was looking for you."

Midori looked around. "Not many people with blue hair," she commented. "Couldn't be that hard." She was so glad that she had tied her hair back so it wouldn't go flopping all over the place. Fashion was hard enough as it is without looking like you had a cape attached to your head.

"No, but it was polite to say," Aigis replied. "Do you have time?"

"Time for what?"

"Us to have a match."

Stunned at the offer, Midori could only stare slack jawed. "Aigis, I will _lose_. You're better than me. Heck, you're better than everyone here!" She gestured at everyone else around them. "So, why me?"

Aigis looked hurt, really hurt. "Because you're my friend, and I don't think we'll get another chance for some time."

Midori had to give in. A sad Aigis was impossible to resist. "Alright, fine. Just... if you're just using me to pad your score to beat that girl in first, I'm not going to make it easy on you."

Smiling, the robot bowed in thanks. "I would expect as much." She straightened up, a thoughtful look on her face. "Actually, I would like to talk to you this evening, after the matches are done."

"Team supper?" Midori suggested.

"Acceptable. But this is something that I need to talk to you about personally." Aigis was serious, which rolled off Midori's awareness. "I will let Rio know to make proper plans."

**Tennis Court #17**

Midori wound up with the divider net behind her after the coin toss. 20 courts had been set up, enough for half the competitors to play at once. They hadn't had to wait long for an open spot as apparently Aigis' performance meant that people wanted to see 'this white beauty' play.

Bouncing the ball on the floor, Midori judged the distance to Aigis, as well as her options. Truth be told, she had played this match out in her head many times, always with the same response. Aigis was faster, didn't tire, and a lot more accurate than she could ever be. She had heard some whispers about why Aigis had challenged someone in the bottom quarter, but those were hushed when Rio made it clear to the rumour mongers that they were from the same team last year, and Aigis' actions went from her picking on someone below her skill level to a match against a rival from last year.

All this went through Midori's head as she tried to not think about what was coming next. But she couldn't delay any longer. She slammed the ball down, then flicked it into the air on the rebound and drew back for the serve. Watching the ball, she knew the exact moment to strike and her racket whistled in the air as she hopped up and smashed the ball forward.

Aigis knew that Midori was a power player. There was no hiding it. All things considered, Midori played best from the back of the court, and delivering to the back of the court. So that was where she waited for the serve. And true to form, Midori simply delivered an impressive amount of power into her shot, one that was simply too fast for most people to respond too at first.

Aigis wasn't most people. She waited for Midori to actually hit the ball before running to the side, watching the angles and trajectories as she readied the return volley. It was aimed for the back corner, a traditional opening that played to Midori's strength, both stylistically and physical.

She got to the corner in time to swing a back-handed shot at the ball after it bounced. Knowing that the typical response was another long shot into the back of Midori's side of the court, Aigis instead angled it precariously at the top of the net near the right side, hoping to float the ball over into the close court, where Midori couldn't smash it back.

Midori had already moved to the center of her side as soon as her feet touched the ground. With no way to know what Aigis was going to do, it was the best place to react from. She watched as her friend made a perfect return, both hands gripping the racket in textbook form, and as the ball started to sail to the corner farthest from where she began.

Typical Aigis, making her do all the work.

Dashing into the corner, Midori wound up, ready to deliver another long shot. She watched with one eye as Aigis stayed at the back, another eye on the ball. If it got too low, she would wind up lobbing it back over the fence, where Aigis could hit it anywhere she pleased. If she hit it too high, it could sail over the end of the court, loosing her the serve. She would probably never get it back at that point.

So at the point she felt was right, she swung, Aigis already ready to receive the hard hit.

At the moment of contact, Midori forced herself to stop the swing, aborting most of the follow-through. The supposed hard strike strained her arms, but the effect was what she hoped for as the ball took nowhere near the momentum she could have put into it, and it slowly flew over the net, touching the floor twice before a running Aigis could get her racket under it.

Rolling her shoulders, Midori grinned at Aigis. "Told you. Not easy." Behind her, the scoreboard advanced one point, and the watching crowd made their appreciation for her feint known. Playing to them, she bowed and spun at the same time, plucking a fresh ball out the air as the ball-girl tossed one at her. "You ready?"

"Yes." Aigis replied, deciding to take Midori a bit more seriously now.

**Locker Room**

**60 Minutes later**

Midori groaned. Every muscle felt like metal as she lay face down on the bench. One of her hands held a bottle of sports drink, and she sipped at it through a straw. "Six-One. Six-Zero." Of course, taunting Aigis like that was sure to get a response. And the response was her complete destruction.

"Yes, that was the score," Aigis said as she wrapped a wet towel over her shoulders. While the robot was fully capable of proper heat regulation, the limits imposed by the sports uniform as well as the necessary deceptions meant that this was the best way to cool off after an intense match.

"I think I'm done," Midori complained. "Too much energy used."

"You need to ration yourself more," Aigis commented as she adjusted the towel around her neck. There were other people in the change room, so she couldn't remove her shirt.

"Easy for you to say." Midori pushed herself into a sitting position, taking another sip. "You're better."

"As were you." The robot returned the compliment. "Your deceptive swings were your best strength."

"Still not enough to avoid getting trounced."

"I... may have taken this match more seriously than I should have," Aigis apologized, nodding to one of the other competitors who looked like she was in awe at Aigis' presence. "And as near as I can tell, that was the longest two-set match in the tournament so far. You did not go down without a fight."

"You got that right," Rio said as she came into the locker room with more water for the two of them. Aigis set the bottle aside while Midori moved her straw over. "Sure, you lost, but there's a lot of people talking about the match as the best of the day by far." She shook her head back and forth, dreaming of better things. "I wish you were still with us, Midori. The two of you working together would be unstoppable on the Doubles court."

"Still, I was hoping for a couple more points." Midori loused as she started to stretch. "I even almost had them."

"Yes, you did." Aigis agreed as she put aside the now dry towel. With her heat under control, she could get ready for her next game. "I will see you this evening."

"Yes!" Rio agreed. "Food in Tokyo! And not the stuff in the hotel." She stuck out her tongue in disgust. "You're paying, right?" She poked Midori with a finger, earning a light slapping of it away. "I kid! I kid! Well, when you're ready, I think you've got yourself some fans out there," Rio pointed at the door. "Apparently you made an impression."

"More fans?" Midori was incredulous. "And me without my autograph book."

"Get used to it. You're popular!"

**Evening**

Midori didn't have time to even read the name of the restaurant they were eating at before she was shuffled into it. Apparently someone had read that it was an amazing place, and the word had spread like wildfire through the tournament participants. So much so that the entire restaurant was full up of chattering teenagers, which those who stepped back and thought about it, wouldn't have been something that the people who worked there could have been expecting.

The six of them had gotten into a private booth. Aigis and Junpei wound up against the wall, with Midori and Eri beside Aigis, Chidori against Junpei and Rio filling out the last seat.

"You know Aigis," Midori said as she leaned over to be heard over the din of other conversations, "sitting back there isn't going to stop your fans from coming over."

"I am aware of that, but I hope my desire for privacy, and keeping you between me and them will be sufficient to reduce the number of admirers to a limited amount." Aigis reported her logic coolly.

That had been a running theme as the day advanced. Aigis' performance in the tournament, combined with her appearance had generated a lot of interest in her, both from professional scouts and from other competitors who looked up to her as a good example.

Poor Aigis had no idea how to deal with that, hence using Midori as impromptu armour.

"So, how did things go with you two?" Junpei asked Chidori and Eri while Aigis and Midori talked, and Rio looked at the menu.

"It went well," Eri said as she played with the table setting in front of her. "Tokyo is big, you know?"

Junpei nodded. "Well, I hope you didn't spend the entire day out on the town."

"No!" Eri objected. "Chidori and I played a few games, and chatted with people!"

Looking at her, Junpei said the first thing that came to mind. "You _talked _to strangers?"

Chidori looked away. "They talked at me. I only responded when I needed too, and how I needed too."

"She's so cool!" Eri exclaimed, the small part of her that was in wonder at being surrounded by such wonderful people leaking through. "If she didn't already have you, I'm certain boys would be throwing themselves at her!"

The comment earned her tight looks from Chidori and Junpei, as well as a warning glance from Midori. "What?" She objected. "It's true." Her voice started to fall.

"She is right," Junpei said calmly. "I'm certain that you'd be fighting off hordes of admirers if I wasn't doing that for you."

Chidori blushed slightly at the compliment, only for Midori to raise a question. "You're not actually beating people up now, are you?"

"No!" Junpei said, raising his hands defensively. "Well, not after the first month or so. Now people tend to leave us alone." He lowered his hands.

"They never told you?" Rio exclaimed. "Really? I thought you guys talked a lot!"

"We do," Midori said, eyes narrowing. "What didn't you tell me?"

"Nothing serious." Chidori said, obviously not wanting to to talk about something in the past like that. Which only made Midori dig deeper and with great fervour.

"Tell me," she commanded, staring at Chidori.

Rio watched the interplay with interest, knowing full well that Chidori could completely stonewall anyone, and had. Even teachers had fallen before her utter imperviousness.

And Midori smashed right through it with two words.

"It's nothing," Chidori repeated as the waiter brought the water and the appetizers that Rio ordered while everyone else was talking. "You don't need to ask questions."

"You know she was going to find out," Junpei said as he reached for one of the rice balls, breaking it in half and passing one piece over to Chidori. Taking a bite first, he looked Midori straight in the eye. "Quite a few people at first thought something was wrong after I came back," he was careful in choosing his words, what with the two people there who didn't know the truth. "And they thought that they could... force an answer out of her. Not by anything physical, you know." He added that last bit as he saw the warning signs of Midori about to demand who so she could deal with them personally.

"They failed," Chidori said in her usual 'I am your better' tone of voice.

"Yeah, they did. After Yukari, Fuuka and Mitsuru talked to people."

"Wait, Mitsuru got involved?" Midori was not completely surprised, but the thought of her coming back to school like that was... well... she couldn't see it.

"Yep. After a particularly annoying person who shall go unnamed decided to harass me on the way home, Mitsuru found out because she's... well, Mitsuru, she went to the school, and the next day everything stopped." Junpei admitted.

"I don't know what happened," Rio added in her observations, "but I saw her go into the Teacher's lounge."

"Excuse me!" Eri said, raising a hand. "Who is Mitsuru?"

"President Kirijo Mitsuru," Aigis explained, "graduated from our school this past year. She was Student Council President, and is the current head of the Kirijo Group."

"Who?" Eri was still confused.

Midori sighed. "Really powerful person. Her family owns the school I went too." She gestured at everyone except Eri and Rio. "We all shared a Dorm with her last year, in addition to some other people. And she doesn't like it when people aren't nice to her friends. At all. Very scary when she wants to be."

"Yeah," Junpei agreed. "Except only you and Akihiko could really get away with getting in her face."

Midori felt a rush of heat to her face. "Don't say that! I only put my foot down when she was going past her proper limits."

Chidori picked up a dumpling with some chopsticks, and offered it to Junpei. The other three humans watched with stunned silence as he let her feed him the piece of food before serving one for herself.

"Oh. My. God." Eri said, causing Midori to wince on the inside at the reference. "You two are pretty much married!"

And that caused an explosion of arguments, comments, and general gentle bickering between friends both new and old that didn't stop, merely slowed when the food arrived.

**Residence**

**Night**

Midori wrapped the jacket around her a bit tighter at the unseasonal weather. Eri was inside with the friends of her daddy while Midori and Aigis were outside. If the Robot felt the cold, she didn't show it. "You wanted to talk to me?"

"Yes." Aigis said, though she faltered as she wasn't sure how to best go about expressing herself. "I don't know if I should keep participating."

"WHAT?" Midori rejected the idea soundly. "What makes you say that?"

"To put it simply," Aigis looked around to make sure they didn't have undue attention, "I am super-human in my strengths and because of that, I feel that my participation is hindering everyone else."

Midori understood instantly, an oddity where Aigis was concerned. "You think that because you're a..." she rolled her hands for a better description that wouldn't accidentally reveal Aigis' nature, "you're you – that you have some sort of advantage."

Aigis nodded. "Yes. My scores indicate that I will easily win the tournament."

"Then do so!" Midori almost yelled. "Aigis, you are yourself. You don't need to pretend to be sick or whatever to make others feel better."

"But I am not human in body," Aigis said, pointing out the source of her concern. "No matter how much I emulate one in mind and soul, there are differences that I... I feel guilty about exploiting."

Midori sighed. "Aigis." She hugged her friend dearly. "If I was concerned about that at all, I would have never gotten you to join the club.

Aigis refused to speak her first response – that Midori hadn't thought of that at all. Instead, she went with still trying to speak honestly. "And it's not just this," she said as soon as Midori gave her room to speak. "But what about the future. I cannot hide my nature forever."

"You're thinking about that too much," Midori rejected Aigis' concerns again.

"I cannot help but think."

"Then be yourself!" Midori said cheerfully. "Don't be arrogant about it, don't you know, make people feel bad for loosing against you. Just be yourself."

"Easy for you to say." Aigis sounded a little down. "You don't have to hide your very nature to be with people."

Memory clicked in Midori's head. "Is this why you want that fake skin thing you were telling me about?" 

Aigis nodded, not needing to say anything.

"Well," Inspiration struck Midori. "Maybe you can ask Mitsuru if any of your sisters can be reactivated. If there are more of you, then you won't feel so alone."

"I am not alone," Aigis objected. "I have you and many other people I can call friends!"

"It's not a matter of friendship. It's a matter of having more people you can relate too. Even if all your... sisters can't be brought back, who is to say that you won't be the big sister to another generation?"

"More Anti-Shadow weapons..." Aigis' eyes grew distant as she thought about that.

"No, they, like you, need to be more than just weapons! You can be their big sister, and to do that, you need to experience winning and loosing, and competing and everything in the world!" Midori let her emotions ramble on. "You can't worry about the little things like this, because you have to experience it, the good and the bad, to pass along to your little sisters!"

Aigis was quiet, which meant she was thinking. After a few minutes, she bowed slightly to Midori. "Thank you. You are right. I need to think some things over." Midori smiled, Aigis mirroring the action. "You should go inside. You look cold. Do not worry about me, I can return to my dorm without hassle."

"I don't feel sorry one bit for any guy who tries anything on you." Midori hugged her friend again, then ran for the warmth inside the house.

Inside, she found Eri waiting for her. "So, your friend's gone back?" She offered her captain a cup of hot chocolate. "Here."

"Yep," Midori took a moment to let the warmth of the cup seep into her hands. "Man, it's really cold tonight. It isn't usually this bad for August."

"So everyone keeps saying," Eri looked past Midori at the darkening sky. "Hey, I got a question for you."

"Sure, go ahead."

"What is up with Aigis? Those headphones of hers... she never takes them off, they don't slide around on her head while she's playing the game." Eri looked at Midori as she began to react to the question. "You know something. What's up?" 

"Aigis..." She struggled to lie without lying. "Aigis has a complicated medical history. Even I don't know all the details, except to say that those headphones of hers help her hear." She tried to be dismissive through a shrug, but somehow, her heart wasn't in it. "Look, just don't worry about it. Think of it as a... fashion point." With that, she dismissed the rest of the conversation by focusing on drinking her still warm drink.

She would also have to talk to Aigis tomorrow about this. Hopefully she wouldn't take it the wrong way.


	9. 01 August 2010 to 06 August 2010

**01 August 2010  
><strong>**Tokyo, Sports Stadium  
><strong>**Afternoon**

Midori took a break as the brilliance of the chaos yesterday was finally revealed to her. With a clear set of people who had already secured their position in the top 16, the more intense conflict centred around those trying for those bottom slots. Everyone who didn't really have a chance to get in, like herself, could relax on the second day, allowing those who were still serious about trying to win a chance.

And as she watched, Aigis was beating them all.

Something she had said yesterday, it seemed, had lit a fire in her, and Aigis was completely dominating the field, to the point where she had overheard some of the other girls talking about the question now being who was going to be in second place.

Add to that the small crowd of University Scouts who were watching Aigis with barely disguised glee, and Midori would have been worried for her friend, except that she knew Mitsuru would take care of anyone who would take advantage of Aigis.

"You must be Midori-chan," an unfamiliar voice said as a girl a little older than Midori approached her table. She was from a school the blue-haired girl didn't recognize.

"I am," she said. "And you are?"

"Makoto," she replied, taking a seat without invitation. "Can I ask you a question or two?"

Midori ran the name through her mind, trying to place it – and quickly knew where she had heard it. "Makoto Kanjo?" She had no idea what was up with the other half of the girl's name, but let it slide. This person was in second place. "You may."

"Thank you." Makoto pulled some water from her bag and set it down on the table. "I've been watching her," there was no need to specify who 'her' was. "And I wanted to ask your advice."

On one hand, Midori was Aigis' friend, and wasn't going to betray her trust. On the other hand, if Makoto was going to ask her for advice in how to play against Aigis, she wasn't going to be much help. On the third hand, she was Aigis' friend. There was no way she was going to betray that.

"If you're going to ask me what her secret weakness is, I'm not going to tell you." She also doubted the girl across from her was a robot herself. "She's my friend."

"I wasn't going to," Makoto said. "Rather, as I think this tournament will come down to me and her, so I wanted to know what it was like facing her."

"Tough. I knew I was going to loose, so I just went all out."

"I noticed you do that a lot." Makoto observed. "You fight very hard, which is why I think you had the longest match against her." She looked over her shoulder, as though worried someone may think poorly of her for her chat with Mdori. "But she's an extremely technical player," for a moment Makoto looked at Midori, almost expecting her to take up the slack.

But she didn't. Going against her nature to chat and talk, Midori held her silence. After a few awkward moments, Makoto gave up and walked away, searching for some other avenue to make the prospect of victory all that much closer.

Releasing a stressed breath she didn't know that she was holding, Midori finished off her bottle.

"Are we interrupting anything?"

Midori knew the voice, but couldn't believe it. She twisted in her chair to confirm the truth of the matter. "ABEL!" She greeted the young man she hadn't seen in almost a year. "Atsuro!" Beside him was Abel's best friend, cap still over his head. "Why are you here?"

"What," Abel said as he and Atsuro took a seat. "Can't we meet up with a friend who is in town for the first time in a year?"

Midori smiled, and bowed in the chair. "Thank you for visiting. I didn't let you guys know because I didn't want to impose." She was glad to see them, as a reunion of Heroes was always a good thing. "So, how are things going? Where's Yoo-Hoo?"

"You mean Yuzu?" Abel corrected. "She had family things to take care of. But she wanted to say hello as well, so I'm passing on the greeting."

"You can tell her I said hello as well!" Midori replied. She glanced at Atsuro, then back at Abel. "So, did you watch any of my matches?"

"No, we just got here, Dolly." Atsuro explained.

"Hey! I'm not on camera. I'm Midori, thank you very much." The young girl chided her elder into using the correct name. "You think you can stick around?"

"Not for too long," Abel apologized. "Actually, Atsuro wanted to check your COMP. You have it with you?"

"No," Midori shook her head. She had left Frosty and her COMP back in Yasoinaba. "Too much of a distraction, and I didn't want to risk it getting stolen. Why?"

"Well," Atsuro replied, "I might be getting a job."

"Ooh! Nice!" Then she remembered what job he knew he was being scouted out for. "So, Kirijo Group?"

He nodded. "I've heard good things about you from Fuuka, and apparently you were used as a character reference?" He leaned in, looking her in the eyes, or trying to, if she would meet his. "What did you tell them?"

"Nothing I shouldn't have."

Abel reached out to put his hand between the two of them, a buffer. "That's enough. I don't think we need to go prying. There's a lot of connections in play here." He looked to Atsuro. "You know that the Kirijo have admitted that their technology was used by the Cult. That Midori happened to meet up with the daughter of that family, that's just coincidence."

Atsuro fell back in his chair. "Sorry. It's just, I'm still a little wound up about that, you know? Out of nowhere I get a job offer because of things I didn't do, or rather, only dealt with after the fact."

"Your apology is accepted." Midori said to keep the peace. From her position, she had a good view of the stairs coming up from the arena floor, which is why she had it in the first place. So when she saw Rio and Aigis, she stood up and waved! "RIO! AIGIS!"

The two Gekkoukan representatives came over to the table, with the two men making room. "So," Rio said, slightly giggling, "two boyfriends?"

Midori's brain faulted as Atsuro laughed. "Sorry," he said, "Abel here's got his own girl. No, we're friends who live in the city." He introduced the two of them, and Rio did the same. "You all from the same school?"

"Used to be," Rio said. "Then Midori had to move and ruin all my plans."

"Hey! I did not!" Midori objected just as she saw that Aigis and Abel were looking at each other. And not in the polite way either. "No! She said as as she stood up and leaned over the table. "No! You're not!" She glared between the two of them, to the confusion of Rio and Atsuro. "Excuse me," she apologized to the two of them before running around the table, and grabbing Aigis and Abel to drag them away.

As the three of them left for a quieter corner, Rio looked to Atsuro. "Well, that's confusing. Any idea?"

Atsuro shook his head in the negative.

Once Midori felt they were far enough away that no one could over hear them, she turned on the two of them. "No!" She hissed, pointing a finger between them. "No fighting! No thinking bad thoughts, no nothing! You are both my friends, and I will not let either of you throw a punch or whatever because even I think that's a stupid plot!"

Aigis and Abel shared a look. "Alright," he said. "No fighting. I'll take your word on that."

"I understand," Aigis confirmed as well, though the two of them shared a look that spoke that they would simply delay anything until Midori wasn't around. "I am sorry," she apologized.

"Me too," Abel at least had the grace to rub the back of his head as Midori tried to drill holes in the two of them with her eyes.

"Good." Her expression softened. "Now be friends, or I'll beat up both of you. At the same time." She smiled and turned her back on the two in order to head back to the table and her other waiting friends.

Abel waited a moment first. "Afterwards?" He asked.

"On the roof," Aigis replied, making the commitment to show up.

"Are you two coming?" Midori called out from ahead of them. "Don't make me come back there!"

"Coming!" Aigis said, glancing once more at Abel.

As they were returning to their seats, Midori took the opportunity to ask Abel a question that she couldn't get an answer from anyone else. "So, um, when Mari-sensei came back to Tokyo for that month, did anything bad happen?"

Abel shook his head, thankful that the cosplay girl had enough tact to not spell things out. And that he had been warned that she was concerned by Amane. "Nothing out of the ordinary," he replied. "Although I'm told that a lot of mothers became friends while in the hospital."

"Oh! That's always nice to hear." Midori had another question for him but couldn't ask it in front of Aigis.

Back at the table, she stood for a moment as the others reclaimed their seats. "So, Atsuro?"

"Yes?" the computer programmer looked thankful that he could not be distracted from being alone with Rio at the table.

"I realized that if you're going to take that job with Mits.. Kirijo-san, then you'll be working with Aigis in the future!"

Atusro looked at Aigis in shock, followed by the robot acting as though this was the first time she had seen him, examining him closely. "I was not aware that this was the person that Fuuka had vetted."

"Well, he is!" Midori announced.

"So, what do you do with this mysterious job?" Atsuro asked, curious given that all he knew was that it was a technical position.

"I would only be able to tell you once you have accepted the job and been briefed fully." Aigis was all business, only causing more curiosity from the people present.

"Don't suppose you can tell me, eh?" Atsuro switched to focusing on Midori, who only shook her head.

"Sorry, she tried to recruit me, but I turned her down."

"Now you have me really curious!" He said back. "I know Fuuka from online, you apparently know what's going on, but won't tell me, and Ai-chan here is already involved?"

"Please don't call me Ai-chan," Aigis retorted, perhaps just a little harshly. "Not even Midori, my best friend, gets to call me that."

"She's pretty sensitive about her name," Midori explained, having taken her seat. "Just apologize, and all will be well."

"Sorry," Atsuro bowed slightly in his seat without any further prompting.

"Forgiven," Aigis replied. "If you'll excuse me, I believe my next match is scheduled right away. She stood, with Rio right behind her. "It was nice to meet both of you."

As soon as the two of them were out of earshot, Atsuro leaned in to whisper in a most conspiratorial manner. "Alright Midori, what is up with Aigis?"

"What do you mean?" Midori put on her best poker face. "Aigis is completely normal." For a given definition of 'normal' that included Robots with a soul.

"Yeah, well, there's something off about her."

"So what?" Midori shot back, a tinge of annoyance in her voice. Not anger. Not yet, at least. "She's my friend, and I'm not going to let you think poorly about her."

"Whoa! I'm not saying she's _wrong_!" Atsuro backpedaled as fast as he could. "I'm just saying there's something.. _off_ about her." He looked to Abel for support, but got nothing. "Maybe it's just the hair..." he muttered to himself, trailing off.

"I have a question, now that the two of them are gone," Midori looked at Abel. "This one is a bit more serious."

"Oh?" Abel indicated that she should ask away.

"Well," she swallowed due to nervousness. "Is it true, what they say? That people with unusual hair colours," she pulled a few strands forward to display what she meant, "that they have demonic heritage?"

An awkward silence descended as Abel considered his response. "I think, Midori, that there's a confirmation bias at work there. People expect to see unusual people being, well, unusual, so they latch onto the more visible as a means to separate out the ordinary from the extraordinary. That such a tale exists, that you're worried about it... Well, you shouldn't be. I mean, you could ask a geneticist about the hair, and I'm sure they'll give you a normal, rational explanation. You don't need to go looking for... extreme answers."

"Alright." Midori said, not to happy with the lack of a flat 'No', but unwilling to press the issue when Abel had given an answer. "Thanks for that." She stood up. "But if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go cheer Aigis on now. Say hello to everyone for me."

"We will," Abel replied with a smile, the Demon King content that he hadn't made a mess of that.

**Night**

He stood on top of the stadium, where normal people couldn't get too without equipment, training, and a safety second to watch over them. Abel was playing with his COMP while waiting for his appointment.

He wasn't disappointed. He could feel her arrive, the subtle thump on the roof as she landed. Putting his toy away, he lowered his headphones. "Aigis."

"Abel."

"Thank you for coming," he saw that she wasn't wearing anything except for the small bow tie around her neck. "Robot. Wow. Wasn't expecting that."

"You're not human yourself," she replied, on guard, but not yet ready for the fight.

"No. It is a long and complicated story."

"Midori knows."

"It seems like she knows more than she lets on to either of us," Abel agreed. "But that is not for the here and now. Can we both agree to keep her out of this?"

"Of course. A mutual explanation then?"

"As long as you understand that what you tell me does not go past me, and what I tell you does not go past you."

Aigis thought that over. "I find that acceptable." She looked around to make sure that they were alone. And if what he told her was serious enough, then promise or not, she would tell Mitsuru. "Who shall start?"

"I got a coin," Abel said, picking one out of his pocket and tossing it to Aigis, who caught and examined it for any trick. "Want to flip for it?"

Aigis nodded, and held the coin, ready for a deception. She flicked it, and Abel called out "Heads."

It landed on his side, and he sighed. "Well, looks like I go first. Hrm, where to begin..? Well, what do you know about the Tokyo Lockdown?"

"A bit," Aigis replied. "Although I now suspect that is not enough."

"No," Abel noted, "probably not. Let me tell you what happened to me, and you can judge the rest for yourself. It started when my cousin, Naoya, summoned me and a couple of my friends – Atsuro, whom you've met, and Yuzu, another friend of mine, and gave us some COMPs..."

**02 August 2010  
><strong>**Tokyo, Dormitory  
><strong>**Early Morning**

Aigis was glad that she didn't need to sleep, though shutting down in a facsimile of rest was good for her systems. After returning to the room she shared with Chidori, whom she found gently snoring, she sat down to think about what she had been told, and what she had said.

The first, and most important thing was that Midori had lied. All for reasons she understood, and that she would use as well. There was no logic in faulting her for the origin of the deception. But the rest of it was so...

No, it wasn't impossible. It was just so far outside her expectations that she didn't know what to do about it.

It also meant that some of the conclusions that Mitsuru had arrived at were faulty. And yet, they were not at the same time. She had reciprocated the tale of the War of Bel with the arrival of Nyx and the Shadows, and the two of them had compared notes on the nature of their foes.

But he had also mentioned that Black Frost had joined them on the last day, and Aigis responded that he was Midori's Persona.

Abel shook his head. "No, Black Frost is my General, my representative in Hell while I stay here in Tokyo. Whatever Midori is using, it's not him."

Thinking aloud, Aigis walked herself through the logic. "We know that Personas are the result of ones internal mindscape. And the Black Frost that you met and lead is not the same one that she wields in combat. However, at the first, there was the incident where it seemed like the Persona she summoned... wasn't. She called for the demon Black Frost, and not the Persona."

"And," Abel continued, "when this Igor person met her, he fashioned for her an outlet for her natural power that invoked the image of Black Frost – Frosty."

"He manipulated her into a safety net, to prevent her from doing wrong while giving her the support of her friend." It also explained why Midori was so eager and willing to be Aigis' friend after discovering that she was a robot. She had made friends with an even more inhuman existence, leaving Aigis to be relatively normal in comparison.

"But what is the source of that strength, so wild that Igor would need to protect her and us from it?"

"I think we're asking the wrong question there," Abel replied. "I mean, it's obvious that Frosty doesn't obey the restrictions that you are aware of, yet you seem to have people devoted to matching her. What if Igor did what he did to push you all in a direction you wouldn't have normally considered?"

"That is possible." Aigis had to admit that her own research, plus the efforts of Fuuka and Akihiko, all inspired by Midori's casual example.

"But as for why her?" Abel shrugged. "Who knows? Random chance happens. It could have been anyone from the Lockdown who went to Tatsumi, and she just got caught up in it first."

"I think," Aigis grinned, "that had she known about it, she would have forced herself into the situation in the first place."

"Jumping in without considering the consequences is something she does." Abel agreed.

Back in the present, Aigis resolved several things. First, she would edit her encounter with Abel to fit the existing information set that Mitsuru had. Not mentioning Demons and Angels as real, but note her encounter with the other 'Wild Card' in Tokyo, and their comparison of notes regarding their respective problems. Ideally, this would allow Mitsuru to reinforce her choices to research and develop this power born of humans. It would serve them well, should things fall apart again.

Secondly, she would not tell Midori of this encounter. While her appreciation for her friend had deepened as she came to understand the lengths to which Midori would go, Aigis foresaw far too many outcomes where this would backfire in a most spectacular manner. To think that she would share the same burden as her friend, yet could not tell her weighed heavily on her own heart, but it was a weight that must be borne.

But all that was in the future. Today, with greater resolve, she would fight for a first place finish in the tournament.

**The Hills  
><strong>**Afternoon**

Abel slipped into the empty room, and walked to the middle of it. The physical location of the Babel Server when it was present in the Human world was still a good point to reach through to other realms and talk. And right now, he wanted to talk to one person in particular.

"HEEE-HOO! You called for me-hee?" The voice of Black Frost echoed in his head, but not so much that it distracted him in any way.

"Hey Frost," Abel said conversationally. "When were you going to tell me that you met Midori last year?"

Even across the distance of universes, the feelings of shame at being caught were familiar enough that he rubbed his forehead in annoyance. "Well, you better explain to me your side of the story," he commanded of his loyal General.

There would be plenty of time to try and figure out if the SDF needed to be told about this later.

**03 August 2010  
><strong>**Yasoinaba Train Station  
><strong>**Afternoon**

Eri hopped off the train first, humid from the constant rainfall of the two days previous. "I did not miss this at all," she said as Midori stepped out behind her. "The rain, I mean."

Midori nodded as she checked her carry-on luggage again. "Come on, let's grab our stuff and find Saki." Eri nodded in agreement and the two headed for where the luggage was being pulled off the train. As they were the only two on this trip, it was easy enough to thank the conductor for his hard work.

"Where is she?" Eri complained as she looked around the nearly empty station. "It's not like our train was early. Or late." She checked her watch to emphasize the point.

Midori didn't really have an answer, so she just picked up her bags. "Maybe they're waiting outside?"

"Seems possible," Eri agreed as she grabbed her bags as well. "But it's good to be home!"

The two girls walked out of the station, and into the afternoon showers past the eaves.

"Midori! Eri!" The two looked into the parking lot where a figure approached out of the mists. Kanako appeared, under her umbrella. "Hey! Saki got really busy, and her family couldn't come to pick you guys up, so she called my parents!" The explanation was spoken over the sound of the rain as she passed out a couple umbrella for the two arrivals. "Figured you might not have one, it's been crazy with the downpour today."

Midori bowed in appreciation. "Thanks! Man, you missed so much!"

"I heard your friend Aigis won!" Kanako said as the three tried to arrange bags and umbrellas with not enough hands. "And you didn't even break into the top half." There was no recrimination there.

"That's what I get for playing against people so much better than me," Midori agreed. "So, we drop of Eri first, then me?"

"That's the plan!"

**Komaki Household**

Midori thanked Kanako and her mother again for the lift before stepping into her house. The front door was locked, which wasn't unexpected as her daddy was out of town. "I'm home," she called out to the empty rooms as she slipped out of her shoes for something less wet.

"YOU'RE HOME!" Nanako cried out as she ran out of the living room and straight into Midori's legs. The sudden assault took her off guard, and she stumbled backward before bracing herself against the wall.

"Nana-chi? What are you doing here?" Midori regained her composure as Nanako buried her face in her stomach.

"I waited for you to come home!" Nanako said through muffled cloth. "I was worried you weren't going to come back!"

Confused, Midori pried her little sister away long enough to kneel down to be face to face with her. "What do you mean, I wasn't coming back? I was talking to you every night!" She didn't question her being here physically, knowing what her daddy and Uncle Ryotaro were capable of.

"You were gone, and I didn't see you and you weren't there to tuck me in and I was afraid you were not coming back!" Nanako re-wrapped herself around Midori in a hug which allowed the young girl to stand up and carry Nanako back into the living room where she saw colouring books on the low table with crayons piled into a bowl.

"There there," she whispered, figuring out the source of Nanako's worries. "Big sis isn't going to leave you. I may not always be around, but I will be there for you." She set her down on the pillow in front of the books. "Now, sit down. Have you had lunch yet?"

Nanako shook her head and Midori glanced at the clock. "Alright then, I'll make something quick for us to eat. You can watch TV if you want." She smiled and waited for Nanako to distract herself before turning to the kitchen. She was going to have to have a serious talk with her uncle about all this. Daddy would get a free pass.

**06 August 2010  
><strong>**Tatsumi Port Island, Kirijo Group HQ  
><strong>**Daytime**

Mitsuru finished reading the report that Aigis had filed concerning her encounter with the Persona user in Tokyo. "I should have sent you or myself to find and talk to him sooner," she berated herself. "I don't see any explanation for how he retained his power after the events last year." She looked up at Aigis, who was standing casually there in her school uniform.

"It may be an undiscovered aspect to the nature of the Wild Card," Aigis said without committing to any actual answer. "Midori reactivated in the presence of the Dark Hour, and there was no reason for her to assume that anyone else kept their Personas after the Lockdown was lifted."

Mitsuru made a noise of acceptance. "Is there anything else you'd like to add?"

"Just two things. First, please do not inform Midori of the contents of that report. She was quite adamant that we all be friends, and given her drive to keep secrets, my going behind her back like that could be seen as a breach of trust."

"I think she's more likely to forgive you than you think," Mitsuru observed. "And the other?"

"When you seek to make contact again, let it be by just myself. I can talk to him as an equal now that the air of misconceptions have been cleared, and we can introduce him to others like Fuuka or yourself later."

"I don't see a reason why not. Although this will prove interesting when I get the acceptance from Atsuro-san." Mitsuru knew that the man she wanted already knew some of her secrets, even if he didn't know them, so she didn't want to be seen as forcing him into a job. If he chose to further his education first, that was acceptable, as she could keep tabs on him that way as well. "Well, there is no need to rush things at this juncture. Congratulations on your win, by the way. I have seen a lot of requests for you to go professional."

"I still have another year of High School," Aigis pointed out. "That is plenty of time to come to a firm decision."

"Good. Don't let the teachers at school pressure you unduly. If you feel they are, tell me and I will straighten them out."

"I doubt it will come to that," Aigis said, hoping that it was true.

**Yasoinaba, Komaki Residence  
><strong>**Evening**

Nanako was a good girl, watching the timer on the table as she carefully set the table for everyone for supper tonight. The timer was very important, as Big Sis told her it was for the pot currently heating on the stove.

She couldn't wait to grow up a bit more when she would be allowed to cook on the oven, rather than using just the toaster. Big sis had promised her that she would teach her on her next birthday! And Bis Sis kept her promises.

The phone started ringing, hanging on the wall of the living room. Nanako shot to her feet, almost knocking crayons off the tables, "I got it!" she said because she knew that Bis Sis was upstairs being busy with some of her friends who were also being over tonight.

Big Sis was very adamant that she only go into the room with all the Cameras and the sewing stuff when she was there, to avoid hurting herself. Nanako agreed, because Daddy was told it at the same time, and he agreed too.

"Thank you!" Big Sis called out from upstairs. The phone rang again, and Nanako reached up, stretching to grab the ringing handset. She flicked it off the cradle, and expertly caught it as it came down before it could bump her in the head.

"Hello?" she said.

"Oh, hello." The voice on the other end was one she didn't know, and that meant she was a Stranger. And daddy had instructed her on how to talk to Strangers on the phone.

"Hello." Nanako replied.

"I may have dialled the wrong number. Is Midori Komaki-chan there?" The Stranger on the phone said.

"Who are you?" Nanako asked. She was told to find out the other person's name so she could tell that to who ever they were asking for.

"Oh, forgive me. My name is Mitsuru." The Stranger was careful in how she spoke to Nanako.

Holding the phone away from her face, Nanako looked up. "Big Sis! There's a Mi... Miso-chan on the phone!"

"Mi-tsu-ru." The Stranger spoke carefully, though Nanako wasn't talking into the phone, so she didn't hear the correction.

Big Sis came down the stairs, holding some of her sewing things in her hands and over her shoulder. "Miso-chan?" She repeated, sounding like she didn't know the name. "May I have the phone Nana-chi?"

Nanako handed her Big Sis the phone, and went back to the table to watch the timer and some Television.

Midori took the phone and cradled it in her shoulder as she reset the work over her shoulder. She couldn't leave her friends upstairs for too long. "This is Midori."

"Ah, there you are." Mitsuru's voice was clear, sending a shiver down Midori's spine. "I wasn't aware that you had a little sister."

Thankful for the casual conversation, rather than whatever doom Mitsuru had, Midori replied swiftly. "She's a neighbour's daughter whom I'm babysitting. She calls me Big Sis."

"Ah." Mitsuru noted, dropping the subject as one she now had all relevant information about. "You are probably wondering why I'm calling."

Midori wanted to slam her head against the wall at that, but kept her peace. "It is an unexpected call," she replied instead.

"I apologize for the delay, but I wanted to congratulate you on your performance at the tournament last weekend."

Midori blinked in surprise. "Thank you!" she reflexively said, politeness coming to the fore. "Although I didn't do that well."

"I saw the skill of the competition. Performing as well as you did against them speaks well of your skill. I am proud of you."

Oh, Midori thought. Mitsuru couldn't take credit for that. She wasn't on the team, or did any training. But she wasn't about to say that to her face, or over the phone. "Thank you for your kind words."

"You are welcome." Mitsuru accepted the sidestep without comment. "But I do have one more thing I would like to discuss with you."

"I'm still not joining~!" Midori immediately replied, putting her words into a tune. She could hear Mitsuru sigh in response, bringing a smile to her face.

"No, not about that directly. Aigis reported that she met Abel."

Oh. "That's it? Nothing happened. I made sure of it."

"So she reported, but I wanted your opinion of what you saw. Aigis still makes her reports all dry facts, and it can be hard to get a better understanding sometimes because of it."

Midori's mind raced before faulting. "Nothing happened," she repeated. "Abel and Atsuro met me in the cafeteria for a social visit at the same time Rio and Aigis. Aigis and Abel... they, well, it's like they _knew_ that each other was special. So I told them in no uncertain terms that if anything bad happened, they would answer to me." Midori looked down at Nanako with a smile, seeing her engrossed in the show. "Anything else?"

"No, that matches what I have. Thank you." With that, Mitsuru hung up.

**Tatsumi Port Island, Kirijo Group HQ**

"Thank you, Kikuno." Mitsuru handed the phone back to her 'maid'. Saikawa bowed, and took it from her silently. "How are the preparations for tomorrow?"

"All Ergo Research materials have been secured to your specifications," Kikuno replied.

"I'm all ready on my end," Fuuka spoke up without taking her eyes from the computer screen in front of her. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"No, but while I would appreciate being able to do this within the confines of the Kirijo Group, having the assistance of Public Safety will go a long way toward our goal." Mitsuru stood up behind her desk and looked out over the darkening skies. "A new Dorm for future Persona users, an organization to deal with such threats. There is so much to do."

Fuuka sighed, raising her eyes. "You should slow down. The dorm can take care of itself, and I don't think they'll object to taking it over."

"No, I agree. But Akihiko is gone, Aigis is hiding something from her encounter last weekend, and Midori knows more than she's letting on as usual. That Kihara-san accepted my job offer within hours of that meeting just raises more suspicions."

"I'll be handling him," Fuuka pointed out. "Right now, I think you need to rest and prepare for tomorrow. You need to convince a lot of powerful people about the dangers of the Shadows."

"Yes. Yes. You're right. You keep telling me I need to stop micromanaging." Mitsuru picked up her jacket from her maid's arms. "Good night Fuuka. You go to bed soon yourself."


	10. 13 August 2010 to 15 August 2010

**13 August 2010  
><strong>**Central Shopping District, Tatsumi Textiles  
><strong>**Night**

Kanji slammed open his window, the small bedroom at the back of the building that was fronted by the store also faced the long street that ran 'behind' the District. "YOU PUNKS!" He yelled at the receding gang of motorcycles. "Ain't you got no respect?"

"It's alright Kanji," his mother said from the doorway, though the hand she held to her forehead indicated otherwise.

"No, ma! It' ain't alright." Kanji closed the window gently to not make this worse for his mother. "Dammit, I can't let them get away with this."

"Kanji," his mother reached out to him, but he wasn't having any of it as he went looking for his jacket. "Kanji?"

"Ma, I can't let them get away with this!" He found his jacket and threw it over his shoulders. "'cuse me, Ma." He gently pushed his way past his mother and toward the back door. "I'm gonna teach them some manners!"

"KANJI!"

**14 August 2010  
><strong>**Central Shopping District, Tatsumi Textiles  
><strong>**Evening**

Kaido walked down the nearly empty street. He didn't need to intrude on Mari, content to simply watch over her from afar. That distance also allowed him to stay away from that girl, no matter how much he may want to make amends, there was no reaching through to that closed heart.

Climbing up past the shrine, he turned the slight bend in the road. Even though a lot of other people were on the street, he stuck to the sidewalk, a habit from a larger city, not one where the roads had more feet than wheels on them.

Looking down to avoid any unnecessary eye-contact with the locals as he waited for his train to arrive, he almost bumped into someone. "Sorry," he said, looking up. It was the young man who helped him out the first time he was in town. "Oh, hey. Kanjiro, wasn't it?"

The boy frowned at him, not quite a grimace, not a snarl either. "Why the hell are you here? Do I gotta call the cops, or somethin?"

Taken aback, Kaido verbally gave ground. "No, nothing like that. It's a nice town you got here, make for a nice vacation spot every once in a while, you know?" He tried to play up the small town advantages, but for some reason that only made things worse.

"Really? Is that why you brought all your friends with you?" The accusation was a half step away from violence, and Kaido wasn't going to have any of that.

"What do you mean, _my friends_?" He asked back, honestly worried. If any of his gang followed him here, even though he said he was on a small vacation. And to be honest with himself, it was the once year anniversary of the Lockdown. Too much bad blood there to live with himself. And it would be like his guys to sneak after him to make sure he was alright. He went through a lot for them a year ago, so of course they would reciprocate.

"Yeah. Your motorcycles and loud noises keepin' my Ma awake all night."

Relief flushed through him. "No, those ain't my boys. Someone else I think. What's this about them making a mess of things?"

"What? You sayin' they ain't yours?"

Kaido nodded. "Yes. My boys would know better than that."

"Well, if they ain't with you, who the hell are they?" Kanji almost roared, drawing unwanted attention. Seeing this, he lowered his voice. "Cause my Ma can't keep it up with all them doing their things, you know?"

Kaido nodded, a smile creeping across his face. "Think about asking them?"

**Komaki Household  
><strong>**Evening**

Midori looked around again, not sure of what she was meaning for herself to do. Nanako was in her own bed, Daddy and Uncle were out drinking like the friends they had become.

She walked to the living room, giving Frosty a look. Her Persona looked back at her. She waved, and it was dismissed, returning to Card form in her pocket. It was so easy to create and return now, though doing more still required effort and practise. But she didn't need a reminder this night.

Resolve flowed into her, and she strode with purpose to a cabinet set into one wall. It wasn't locked as her Daddy trusted her, though what his response would be tomorrow would be anyones guess.

Flicking it open, she pulled out an open bottle of sake, bought from Saki's place, and a cup.

Returning to the table, she set down the two items, sighing deeply. It was a stupid thing she was doing, but it was the right thing too.

She carefully popped the cork on the alcohol, and tipped the bottle to slowly put some of it into the glass. Setting down the bottle, she looked at the drink intently, letting nothing else distract her. Once it was done, there was no going back.

"Keisuke." She said, grabbing the glass and throwing down the vile drink in a single gulp. Midori slammed it back down on the table as the liquid burned down her throat, tears in her eyes from the intensity.

She poured another glass.

"All at once," she said to herself, lifting the glass a second time.

"Shinji." She drank again, the second as horrid as the first.

Again she poured a drink.

"Minato."

She looked at the bottle, still mostly full. Then she picked it up and headed for the door.

**Central Shopping District, Tatsuhime Shrine  
><strong>**Night**

Midori held the bottle against her chest as she slipped into the shrine. The street was dark this time of night, so it was easy to bypass the few people hitting the stores still open this time of night, including the bar she knew her Daddy was in.

She very carefully avoiding thinking about what her Daddy would think if he saw her.

At the shrine, she looked around, but the Fox hadn't made an appearance due to her intrusion. She knew that if it was here, then she would loose all her courage.

She knelt in front of the shrine, but did not pray. There was no one who would listen to her anyways. "I'm sorry," she said to no one in particular. Holding up the bottle, she uncorked it once last time. She would have to buy a replacement, probably after making some excuse about accidentally cracking it by tripping or something like that.

"I'm sorry that you all suffered. That I couldn't save you." She tilted the bottle, letting it start to pour out. "I'm sorry." Tears started to come down her face, the weight she fought against for so long starting to take its toll. "So sorry..."

She crashed to her knees, her glasses falling partly off her nose. One year later, and how many died? How many could she have saved in the name of love and justice if she wasn't too busy making a mockery of both?

The bottle was picked up by a strange and unfamiliar hand. She couldn't see it clearly either. "Hey," the voice attached to the hand was familiar, but she refused to recognize it. "You don't strike me as the drinking type." There was the sound of the alcohol being sampled. "Wow, this is some pretty strong stuff. I don't think I could handle more than a shot myself."

Midori turned around, but she had no strength in her legs, so it was an awkward motion. She wold up sitting with her knees in the air, hands supporting her weight. "It's for the dead!" The words slipped from her mouth with no resistance.

Kaido looked down at Midori. This was not in any way, shape, or form how he envisioned this happening. "Hells, girl, you sure know how to make a mess of things." He stepped past her and dumped the rest of the bottle onto the ground, an offering for the deceased. Setting it down, he clasped his hands in prayer.

"Why are you **here**?" Midori tried to say, but strength failed her.

"Me?" Kaido asked back as he looked to the sky. "A guy I know is proving himself a man, defending what he holds dear. I'm just waiting for his return."

"Liar." Midori let herself fall back, looking up past the shrine at the stars. Why was she feeling so weak?

"Call'em as I see 'em." Kaido said. "One year, huh?"

"Shut up, murderer."

The accusation flew straight and true. It impacted on Kaido like nothing else could have, even if the words had come from a different person. "That's me."

"Leave me alone."

"You're drunk. No."

"LEAVE ME!" Midori screamed, hoping someone would hear and investigate, but no one answered her plea.

"I can't. Not like you are now." Kaido said, hands in his pockets as he kneeled down. "I don't think he'd like if if I left you here like this."

"Shut up." More tears. Why wouldn't they stop?

"Will you listen?"

"NO!"

"Please?"

"SHUT UP!"

"Midori?"

"MURDERER!"

Kaido spoke anyways. "I didn't want to, you should know. I want to say that he started it, but I don't think that you'd believe me." He looked up again at the shrine, noting that there was some wild animal lurking about. Well, it couldn't be too wild if it had a scarf tied around its neck. "I didn't want to, but I was left with no choice. I know it hurts you. But I wanted you to know that... I don't mind if you don't forgive me. I don't mind if you hate me, if you hold that in your heart for the rest of your life. But I want you to know that I didn't want to do it."

Midori gave up, and lost consciousness.

Kaido groaned at the now-snoring girl. Drunk and passed out. Couldn't blame her, not with how powerful that stuff she was drinking was. Then he cursed. He could just imagine Mari's response now, and it would probably be easier just to slit his own throat. So no, he couldn't take her there. Nor could he leave her here.

"Hey dude? You around?" Kaido heard Kanji calling from the street. And he had his answer! Oh, this would work out perfectly.

"In the shrine."

"Dude, you were right! Once I laid out the first one, the rest just folded!" Kanji came in with a smile on his face a mile wide, a garbage can lid in one hand, and bruises on his face. "Oh. Dude. Not cool."

Kaido looked down at Midori. "Don't worry. She got herself drunk, and is sleeping it off."

"Seriously? Her? Nah. No way!" Kanji rejected the notion of the elegant high-schooler doing something like that. "Really, what happened?"

He kicked the bottle in response. "Trying to drown her sorrows, and it got the better of her. Say, could you take her back to your place for the night?"

"Huh?" Kanji looked afraid, then confused. "Why?"

"Simple," Kaido said with a smirk, causing Kanji to worry. "Take her back, tuck her into a guest room. And when the police come calling because you just beat up twenty guys and chased them all over town, you point to her and tell them you were protecting her from the gang." He slapped a confused Kanji on the shoulder. "And you go from being a delinquent causing a ruckus to a hero in one fell swoop!"

"That'd be lying!" Kanji objected as he slowly thought his way through the plan. "I can't do that!"

"What harm would the lie be?" Kaido countered. "The only one who could object would be her."

"I think the cops would believe her over me. Her uncle's a cop!"

That made sense to Kaido, why she was living in this town. Moving out to be with family after the events last year. "Don't worry. I trust you to come up with something. Just don't blame me, alright? I got enough on my plate to not have to deal with that."

With that, Kaido stepped out of the shrine, past the wild fox that stared at him with clear eyes and out onto the street. He had missed his train to wait for Kanji to act, and it was time well wasted in that regard. He felt bad for dumping the girl on him, but he knew that Kanji would do the right thing.

And who knows? In a couple years, he may even make for a good Shibuya Demon!

**15 August 2010  
><strong>**Central Shopping District, Tatsumi Textiles  
><strong>**Morning**

Midori awoke to the inhumanly cheerful chirping birds of august, and an unfamiliar ceiling. "Awake?" she heard her daddy say as she pulled herself up, rubbing her eyes. "And before noon too. I'm surprised."

Her throat was dry, and a headache pounded on the inside of her skull like nothing else. She waved a hand to find her glasses, and once found put them on. "Daddy? Can I have some water?"

"Considering you're slightly hung over... No."

It took a moment for the words to process in Midori's head. "Huh?"

"I don't know what the police are thinking, nor do I know what exactly that boy was doing, but I can tell that you were drinking last night." Mamoru's voice was steady and even in a way that betrayed nothing. "I'm very disappointed in you, even though I completely understand why you did what you did."

Still not thinking straight, Midori finally figured out that she had slept in her shirt and skirt, and that her jacket was rolled up under her as some sort of pillow. "Daddy?"

"I wish you had come to me, Midori," Mamoru said. "You don't need to hide the hurt you feel from me, and I would have been glad to be supporting of my little girl." He almost sounded sad, but years of work as a stuntman and in advertising schooled his face into a stern visage. "Can you at least tell me what happened last night?"

Working her mouth to moisten it, Midori finally began to piece together what her daddy was talking about. And she didn't like it one bit. She was in trouble, and it was all her fault.

**Yasoinaba Police Station**

Detective Kodai watched through the mirror as the new guy, Adachi, kept up with the interview of one Tatsumi Kanji, with his mother present. He was in an awkward position, given that his partner's niece was almost a victim of the incident last night, though watching as the boy tried to deflect the idea that he was a hero, he got a feeling that Kanji, the poor boy, was simply overwhelmed by the intensity of what he had done last night.

He knew that the boy had a temperament, but was keeping in in check with the help of his mother. Thankfully Ryotaro was busy interviewing the ones from last night who had checked into the hospital. They wouldn't admit to losing so badly to a single person, so they held their peace.

That they were also the ones that were disturbing the peace for the last couple nights also lent credence to the current feeling amongst the station that they would officially give him a warning for getting into a fight, but unofficially give him credit for a good job.

All he had to do was wait for Adachi to finish talking first, then he could send the boy home.

**Yasoinaba Hospital**

Ryotaro flipped his notebook closed. None of them were talking, even the ones who weren't injured badly. They didn't want to talk to a cop, and that was final.

He really didn't want to have to set an officer or two to protect the Tatsumi boy.

Looking down, he saw his hands were shaking slightly. Not from the presence of so many who needed various degrees of medical attention, but in knowing that Midori was almost a victim in all this. And if she was... no. Don't think about that. And certainly don't think about Nanako.

Thankfully, Mamoru was able to stay at the Tatsumi place to watch over her while the mother and son were at the police station. And Nanako was told she could sleep in, or visit one of her friends for now. He didn't have to worry. _Shouldn't_ have to worry.

But it was only human of him to do so.

Fighting down the urge to find the nearest city-ganger and demand answers, the detective tried to puzzle out what to do. They couldn't just evict them from the town, yet they couldn't be allowed to stay either. They hadn't committed any real crimes yet, but now it was only a matter of time.

His partner, Kodai, would phone him when he was done at the station, but that didn't keep Ryotaro from glancing nervously at his phone every now and again.

"Detective Dojima?" a female voice came from the hall to his right, causing him to look up.

"Ah, Doctor Mochizuki." He relaxed a little at the friendly face and stood up a bit straighter. "I apologize for the mess."

She bowed in acceptance. "That is not a problem," she said. "Although when I heard that_ he_ was in town, I feared the worse."

"He?" Ryotaro echoed in confusion before he remembered. "Ah, you meant Tadashi."

She nodded. "Yes, I was worried."

"Well, you don't have to be," Ryotaro smiled to help calm her down. "From what I've heard, he wasn't involved at all. It was actually the Tatsumi boy."

Mari looked thoughtful at that revelation. "What's his name... Kaji?"

"Kanji," the detective corrected her. He was about to explain why, including his non-claims of defending Midori, but held that back. There was no need to worry her, especially given how her room mate was friends with his niece. "I can't tell you all the details as the investigation is still ongoing."

"I'm from the big city," she replied with a bit of snark that was out of place in normal interactions with the police. "This isn't the first time I've had to deal with a police investigation into violence."

Ryotaro let it slide. "I understand. Sorry."

"Forgiven."

"Well, there's not much I can do now," he said as he checked his phone and book one more time. "The patient's aren't a threat from what I've seen."

"No," Mari agreed. "They've been very polite."

Ryotaro sighed. "Well, I still have to stay here until I get the all-clear from the station."

"Well, in that case, why don't you wait in the staff lounge? We have coffee." Mari offered without a smile. "No sense in standing all the time. It's not good for a middle-aged man."

"I'm not that old!" Ryotaro objected. "But coffee sounds nice."

"Well, let me show you where we keep it!"

**Central Shopping District  
><strong>**Tatsumi Textiles**

Mamoru finished listening in silence as Midori explained her chain of mistakes last night. He waved off the bottle of alcohol as a lost cause, though he knew his daughter would replace it anyways as a means of atoning for it.

"Midori, I forgive you." He said it again, even though his daughter wasn't up to forgiving herself just yet. "What you went through was horrible, yes. But I'm here now. I can help you. Even if it's just listening." He would repeat that as many times as it would take for his daughter to learn it.

"Sorry, daddy."

He leaned over and rubbed the back of her neck affectionately. "There there. You're still my little magical girl."

"Daddy," She said as she looked up him with tear-stained eyes. "I'm 16."

"You think that stops you from being special to me?"

"I suppose not."

"Look," Mamoru said as he stood up. "Why don't we collect your things, and head home? You look – and smell like – you could use a bath and poor Nanako is all by herself with her father out at work from other things that happened last night. Seeing her big sister should make things better."

"What happened?"

"Oh? Well, it seems like Kanji-kun got into a bit of a fight..."

**Yasoinaba Municipal Hospital**

Kaido waited patiently for the cop and Mari to leave before he could get closer. He knew that this could get real ugly, real quick unless he did something to take care of things. And that meant having some alone time with the leader of this particular band of idiots.

Now that the way was clear, he casually walked down the hall to the room he knew was occupied by the head honcho. Taking one last look around to make sure no one was giving him unwarranted attention, he opened the door and stepped in like he owned the place.

"Who the fuck are you?" The man sitting on a couch said as though the bandages were no problem at all. "You ain't a nurse, or one of my guys."

"No, I ain't." Kaido said. "I'm Kaido, from Tokyo."

The other man stared. "No. You ain't. There's no way he would come out to this hick town."

"I do if it's a nice vacation spot," Kaido replied as he stepped closer, a slight grin on his face as he kept his hands in his pockets. "Now, we have a problem."

The other man finally recognized the Demon of Tokyo, and sweat broke down his face. "Oh. Shit."

**Later**

Kaido walked out, and quickly checked to make sure none of the local cops were looking at him. Clear, he made his way out of the hospital. He was comfortable with the deal he had hashed out. The other guys wouldn't cause a ruckus in Inaba, and the Demons would give them a warm welcome in Tokyo instead. It wasn't a perfect deal for Kaido, but it did serve to keep the peace in a town not equipped to deal with a motorcycle gang, and instead bringing them into a place where they were the small fry, and could be controlled.

He stopped, a promise coming back to the front. He swore as he changed his plans. He needed to go to that Amagi Inn place and grab some info from them. One of his guys was getting hitched, and was looking for a honeymoon spot, and apparently Kaido's 'tourism' excuse intrigued him.


	11. 30 August 2010 to 05 September 2010

**30 August 2010  
><strong>**Central Shopping District, Tatsuhime Shrine  
><strong>**Daytime**

Midori watched carefully as Nanako fed the Fox. She had brought her with her to the Shrine this day to meet up with Amane, and the Fox had met them at the entrance to the shrine, whereupon it had looked at the little girl, and Nanako, in the tradition of little girls everywhere, thought that the 'wild' animal looked cute in the scarf around its neck, and wanted to play with it.

Normally Midori would have said no, but she was going to be at the Shrine anyways, and as much as she didn't trust the land god, knew that it wouldn't hurt Nanako. Maybe scare her if she tried to pull its tail or something like that, but for now, they were content to play hide-and-seek on the shrine grounds.

"You don't have to worry," Amane said, knowing what was going through Midori's head. "The Fox won't do anything bad." She handed Midori a broom and dustpan. "You have to clean the pathways today."

As 'punishment' for her little thing two weeks ago, Midori was going to be officially helping upkeep the shrine for a month or two. Not that she minded in the long run, as it meant she could spend time with Amane.

"On it!" She accepted her assignment with cheer, and started from the shrine itself to work outwards to the edges.

After she had been working for a few minutes, keeping track of Nanako by the giggles and yipping of the Fox, she passed by Amane, who was working on repainting one side of the shrine. Putting down her brush, she turned to Midori – still sweeping away, and asked a question. "Midori, can you help me study?"

"Huh?" It was such an oddball request that Midori almost stopped swishing the dirt and early leaves from the rocks. "Study?"

"Yes," Amane said as she glanced up at the sky, worried about the overcast clouds opening up sooner rather than later. "I would like your help there."

"With what?" Midori kept sweeping. "I mean are you trying to improve your priest qualifications? Is that even a thing?"

"No, not that. I would like your help with my High School education."

"What?" That was enough to get her to stop sweeping and instead lean on her broom to pay Amane more attention. "I though you graduated already."

"No, I have not."

"But, you're like... 19!"

Amane retracted in surprise. "Midori, I'm seventeen. I haven't been to a proper school in over five years, and a condition of my current state is that I complete my education to at least the High School level."

"You... bwuh... WHAT?" Midori yelled out.

"Big sis! Are you OK?" Nanako said from where she and the Fox were playing a game. The two of them were looking at the older humans, one in worry, one without.

"I'm fine, Nana-chi!" Midori waved away their concerns. "Big Sis was just not expecting something that Amane said to her!"

"Oh. Alright." Nanako turned her attention back to the Fox. "Come on! I saw something neat!"

Watching the two move toward the back of the shrine, Midori waited until they were out of hearing before rounding on her friend. "You haven't finished High School?"

"No. My father took me out in order to train me in the Shomankai."

"I could have sworn you were older," Midori muttered to herself. "So, what does that mean for me?"

"Can you help?"

"Well, _duh_, I'll help." She honestly couldn't see any situation in which she wouldn't. "But I mean, what do you need, or want? Like, study sessions? And why aren't you in school?"

"It was felt that registration would create too much of a paper trail for the cultists to follow," Amane admitted. "And so I'm taking correspondence equivalence courses through the SDF. It is one of the things they do to make sure their soldiers have the right education."

"So, you want to come over to my place for this, or shall I go over to yours?"

"I am hesitant to impose..." Amane said. "But there isn't much room at our place."

"Then come over!" Midori would take any opportunity to have friends at her place, especially when her daddy wasn't home. She held her exuberance in check as a couple people came into the shrine, Amane putting down the paint to greet them.

Eventually, they paid their respects, offerings were made, and they left. Amane returned with a sad smile. "More people praying."

"Junes opens on Wednesday," Midori nodded in understanding. "Were they asking for help or harm?"

"Does it matter?"

Midori pointed with a thumb at the Fox, who was investigating the donation box. "Depends on what it wants to do."

Amane sighed. "I cannot wave an ofuda around to make things go away," she said as she looked down at the paint. "I have been asked to perform rites at the store tomorrow, before they open. Manager Hanamura is hoping for good business himself, and thinks he can make peace with the Shopping District if I am seen to... not support, but at least tolerate their existence.

"I can't help you with that," Midori replied. "And I'm not the kind of girl to go burning down a store in the dead of night either."

"You wouldn't!" Amane exclaimed, shocked at the mere suggestion.

"No! Never!" Midori backtracked harshly. "No. No. I'm just saying that I can't help with any of the prayers like that."

"Good. This is a bad subject. If I can come over, when would be a good time?"

"How about tomorrow, after you're done your thing. It's the last day before classes start, so I'll be doing some last minute stuff myself."

"Thank you."

"I may be over at my Uncle's place though. Give me a call first."

"I will. And thank you again."

"No problem!" Midori said, happy and smiling. "So, what do you want for supper?"

"Hamburger!" Nanako said, having overheard her big sister ask about food.

"I was asking Amane, Nana-chi." Midori gently admonished the little girl. "She will be coming over tomorrow night."

Nanako pouted, sad that she was being rejected. "That's alright," Amane spoke, not wanting to upset the little girl. "I think hamburger would be a good idea."

This agreement caused Nanako's face to light up in glee. "Hamburger! Hamburger!" She started to dance around. "We're going to have hamburger!"

Midori glared at Amane. "Thanks for that," she said sarcastically. "Now I have to buy some meat and cheese and other stuff."

"I can pay for some of that," Amane offered. "It's only fair for your help."

**31 August 2010  
><strong>**Komaki Household  
><strong>**Evening**

Amane was not in her priestly garb, instead being in something far more casual and comfortable. In one hand, she held a bag full of study books and the like, the other reaching up to knock on the door. There, she paused. Doubt and worry wracking her mind as the reality of the situation kept coming down on her. A little over a year ago, this girl had gone into her own soul to route the demon Jezebel, and then stood by and helped as they conquered the Babel Server's defenses.

She was also there when Midori was attacked by Belzebulb's insects, and even so much later, she couldn't help but shudder at the attack even now.

Mari reached over her shoulder and knocked. "Don't give up now," she said encouragingly from behind Amane. "You can do this."

"I know I can," Amane said without looking back. "I was just thinking about how much I seem to owe her."

The door opened, Mamoru looking at the priestess and doctor. "Oh! Midori only mentioned one of you!" He invited the two of them in, greeting them as they crossed the threshold. "Amani-san. Mari-sensei."

Amane took off her shoes. "Thank you for having me over," she said as she stepped up to the living room.

"You're not coming in?" Mamoru asked of Mari as she stood in the entryway still.

"No, just dropping her off after all the running around she needed to do today." Mari said to explain. "I'm going home for the evening. Amane can walk home, right?"

"Of course," the girl said as she sat down at the table in the middle of the living room. "Where is Midori?"

"She's just getting the food for tonight," Mamoru said. "She should be back in ten, fifteen minutes."

"Well, I'll be going then." Mari said as she waved at Amane. "Don't be out too late!"

"I won't."

"If they stay late," Mamoru offered, "she can spend the night again."

"I hope it doesn't come to that." Mari said as she turned back to the door. "Thanks again."

"Any time," Mamoru agreed and showed the doctor out. Returning to the living room, he looked at the books now on the table. "Don't get too comfortable with them there, we still need to eat." He said as he stepped toward the kitchen. "Can I get you some water?"

"Please. The blessings today meant a lot of talking."

"I know. I've been to events like that. Hopefully you weren't accosted by anyone?"

"No." Amane accepted the water gratefully. "I already explained to the other store owners that regardless of my personal feelings, I still had a duty to perform. And we didn't want any place in Yasoinaba to be where evil spirits would gather."

"Makes sense. I just wish I could get them to listen to my ideas."

"For what it's worth, I think you have a good plan, turning Inaba into a tourist town based around the Amagi Inn and the Shopping District, but that's a lot of change for a very traditional town."

"And I'm from the big city. I know." Mamoru sat down and turned on the television to the news. There was nothing unusual, except that a local politician was making some speech or another about something economic. Then the weather came on. "Well, it's pretty much going to rain tomorrow, so that will cut down on first-day business."

"Can we not talk about Junes?" Amane asked as she sorted through her books.

"Of course. My apologies." The two waited in relative silence for several minutes until Midori came in. "Hey, Midori!"

"Hello Daddy!" Midori kicked off her shoes, then closed the door behind her by leaning into it. She stepped up and into the living room on the way to the kitchen when she saw their guest. "Hey Amane! Welcome! Let me put down the bags, then I'll be right back."

"Her cooking has improved," Mamoru admitted. "A year ago, we would have served up re-heated meals, or ordered out."

Amane could only smile. "I was never given a chance to learn in a kitchen," she admitted.

"Well, why don't you help Midori then?" he offered. "Learn at the same time!"

"I don't think that is a good idea." Amane replied. "At least, not right now. Maybe another day."

**Shiroku Pub  
><strong>**Evening****  
><strong>

"Doctor. Odd seeing you here." Ryotaro said as he slipped inside the small bar.

"Hello Detective," Mari replied, raising a glass in greeting. "Just relaxing after being called in for a couple hours."

"Ouch. I know all too well what that's like." He said as he ordered his own drink. "So, what happened?"

Mari drained her glass, trying to decide if it was alright or not to talk to him about her day. Then she decided that it really didn't matter. "Oh, you know, the usual. Some one decides to do something to make a mess of things, and they need someone fresh to fix it all up."

Ryotaro laughed. "Oh, I know the feeling. I've been where you are before. Makes you wonder how certain people got their jobs in the first place."

She laughed with him. "I know, right? So, what about you?"

He turned sour. "Kodai, my partner? Well, he announced he's retiring at the end of the year."

"Oh? I've met him, and he seems to be well into retirement age."

"I know. It's just a shock you know. He didn't tell me anything about it beforehand, though he's been talking to the Superintendent for a couple weeks now, getting the paperwork filled out."

"So, what does that mean for you?"

"Three months of desk work for the most part, then a new partner in January."

"That doesn't sound so bad. You can spend more time with your daughter!"

"That!" Ryotaro raised a glass in a celebratory salute. "That is a damned good reason! I just wish it wasn't so sudden." He knocked back the drink hard. "Tomorrow, he and I are going to start looking for a replacement. At this point, though, the only real option we have without going recruiting from out of town, or getting a rookie is Adachi."

"Adachi? I don't think I've met him."

"Young guy. About your age. Pretty smart, but still quite new. Got a huge head of hair." Ryotaro indicated his impression of Adachi's hair style with some exaggeration. "This would be good for him."

"And good for you?"

"What? Being the senior partner?" He considered this. "You know, I can live with that."

"So, what is Kodai-san going to do with all his free time?"

"I think he's going to move down to Osaka and retire. He doesn't have any family in Inaba, so it's not like he's tearing up something or another."

Mari wisely didn't ask if Kodai was a widower or not. "Well, I think this means time for a preemptive celebration of your promotion!"

**01 September 2010  
><strong>**Yasogami High School, Teacher's Office  
><strong>**Lunchtime**

"Thanks fer coming, Komaki-chan." Morooka said after Midori bowed. That she had come first thing was good, as it meant that he could be more confident in his choice. "I'm gonna lay this out for you. Thanks to that damn mall," he almost spat, but knew it would be a bad example, "one of the second year members of the Student Council has had to move out. The principal wants a quick replacement, so I put your name forward."

That was putting it lightly. The departed was one in a long slow trickle of kids whose families were leaving the area for other jobs, even as they were replaced by the children of those who came into town because of that place. And he knew that Komaki could do it, she had the right look in her eyes for it, so he really wasn't concerned with her. He just had to let her know first.

Midori for her part, was quite torn. On one hand, being on the Student Council was a great step up, one that was only natural given her progression through the school so far. On the other hand, she had only been here for a single semester, plus the summer break, so it's not like she had a handle on everything yet.

On the third hand (or she could borrow one of Frosty's), he was a teacher asking her to step up and help out the school, the students and everyone with one action!

Oh, and Mitsuru would be proud of her, and probably try to give her some advice. That was a negative. Using the other of Frosty's hands, she could always call back to Gekkoukan and talk to Chihiro again! She was on the Council there as well, being the Vice President. Actually, that was a good question.

"What position will I be in?"

"Ah, that?" Morooka quickly sorted through the papers on his desk for the right note. "Ah, here we go. "Let's see here... yep! We need you to take the position of being responsible for coordinating all the sports clubs."

Midori was confused. "Isn't that a conflict of interest? I'm the captain of one of the teams."

"Nah. I already checked in with the Principal about that, and he's alright with it. Besides, the previous guy was just slacking off."

She didn't think that was the case, though she was always prepared her necessary paperwork perfectly. "I believe I can do it." She bowed again, knowing there really wasn't much of a choice as his request... wasn't. "Although I may need a couple weeks to catch up to everything that needs doing."

"Thank you, Komaki-chan." Morooka was pleased with himself, and with his student. "I'll let the Principal and the President know. Dismissed. Go have yer lunch."

"Thank you, Morooka-sensei." Midori bowed again, and left.

**Student Council Office  
><strong>**After School****  
><strong>

Midori knocked, then let herself into the room. "Hello?"

"Oh, you must be Midori!" There was a single boy sitting at the end of the table with a stack of papers in front of him. "I'm glad you came."

"I am glad to be here." She had set Eri to be in charge of the club today, explaining her new position. "I don't know your name."

"Oh, sorry. Everyone calls me the Quiz King. I prefer Dan though. My full name can be a mouthful."

"Dan," Midori repeated. "Oh! You're the one at the top of the marks!"

"And you're in a solid second for our year." He returned the compliment. "I heard you were in a high-class school before coming back here, so our tests must seem easy."

"Not that," Midori said, moving past the empty tables and chairs. "It's just I had some certain study habits drilled into me, and they stuck." She really wasn't doing anything different, and she didn't want to think that his suggestion had any truth to it. That would be insulting to the school! "So, where is everyone else?"

"It's just us, everyone else..." Dan sighed as he leaned back in his chair, "everyone else doesn't really care. It's pretty hard to get a full set of people to take all the positions this year and the last. Unlike other schools, the Council doesn't have the power or the... glamour that people normally associate with it."

"I understand." Midori picked up a sheet and looked at it. It was an application from one of the classes to set up a cafe for the upcoming culture festival.

"So if you want to leave, be my guest. I've bee running the whole show for the year so far."

_That_ offended Midori deeply. She slapped the paper back down on the table. "Really? You think I'm just took the position to make myself look good? I already have that! I took this position because it seemed like the Council needed my help, and I don't turn people down like that! So, move your ass over, hand me some things to check and I already have a pen!" She pulled out a chair and sat down in it hard before pulling herself in. Glaring at the Quiz King, he responded by looking at her for a moment, then picking a dozen or so sheets up and handing them to her.

"Here."

**Front Gate**

Dan and Midori waited inside the gate for Midori's team to finish up their practice and meet them there. "Thank you for your help," Dan said as he leaned up against the gate itself. "And I want to apologize for being so harsh with you when you came in."

"Forgiven," Midori instantly replied. "Though why?"

"I wanted to make sure you weren't going to just pick up and leave, so I made things harder for you to judge your reaction."

She was almost offended at that, but recognized why he did what he did. If he – and now her – were the only good people on the council, then they had to be sure that anyone else was capable of pulling their own weight. "I thought it would have been harder than that."

He shrugged. "It was at the start of the year, with all the stuff just starting. There's still a bit of work to be done for the Culture Festival in the coming weeks."

"I don't even know what my Class is doing," she said. "We haven't even started talking about it yet."

"Better decide quickly," he reminded her. "The sooner, the more likely your plan will be approved."

"I'll keep that in mind." Midori caught movement from the front hall, and saw that it was her friends. "There they are! ERI! SAKI! KANOKO! SAWA!" She hopped up and down, waving all the while. "I'm over here!"

"Well, thank you again for your hard work. The next meeting won't be until next Monday." Dan said, as Midori's friends came closer. "Have a nice day."

"Assuming it doesn't rain before I get home, I think I will. I will see you on Monday." She bowed to her senior who returned the gesture in kind.

Dan left just as the other four girls came up. "Who is that?" Sawa demanded as she shifted the bag with her tennis equipment over her shoulder.

"That's the Quiz King," Midori replied. "He's on the Student Council, and was helping me out today."

The others shared a look amidst themselves, causing Midori to feel a small amount of confusion and worry. "Ummmm... Is there something I missed?"

"No!" Kanako was first to recover. "Not at all! We're just surprised, you know!"

Now she was very suspicious, but couldn't act on those feelings. "So, who wants to go get some beefsteak form Aiya's place?" Maybe she could pry out what was going on through food instead?

**05 September 2010  
><strong>**Central Shopping District, Tatsumi Textiles  
><strong>**Daytime**

Midori and Nanako walked in, hand in hand so that the young girl wouldn't trip on the steps or anything like that. "Hello, Master." Midori bowed deeply at the friendly and welcoming face of the owner.

"I keep telling you, you don't have to call me that when it's all business. And who is this?" Mrs. Tatsumi knelt down before Nanako, who retreated behind her big sister's legs in the presence of a stranger.

"This is Nanako. Nanako, say hello to the nice lady."

"Hello." She poked her head out around Midori's skirt just long enough to say the word, then went back to hiding.

"Sorry, she's not good with strangers." Midori apologized as the carefully advanced into the store, allowing Nanako to keep pace. "How was the order?"

"It came, but I want you to have a look at it first. I think something went wrong in transit, and a good second opinion would help," the older woman said, beckoning Midori to follow.

"One moment." Midory turned to gently pry Nanako off her. "Nana-chi? Big-sis has to look at something important. Can I leave you here to look at things as long as you don't touch?"

"No," Tatsumi said. "I have a better idea. Kanji?"

"WHAT MA?" The young man yelled out from the back of the store. "I'm BUSY!"

"Don't yell. And come out here. I need your help with something."

Kanji came out of the back, his black t-shirt with a skull on it hidden under the off brown apron with the cute flowers on it. "Yes Ma? Oh, hey Midori." He greeted his senior. "What's up?"

"Midori is going to help me inspect the latest shipment," his mother explained. "However, little Nanako here needs to be looked after. Can you do that?" She pointed behind Midori where said little girl had taken to hiding again at his voice and looks.

Kanji almost refused, but thought better of it. Even with his improved standing with everyone in the Shopping District, he still was a rough young man. And this girl didn't look to be over six. "You sure, Ma?"

"Yes Kanji, I am."

Midori could trust him, that she was certain of. And it wasn't like he was going to take her out of the store. "If you have a TV, she can watch that while you watch over her," she suggested.

"I'm kinda doing some things in that room," Kanji admitted before he slapped himself in the forehead. "Oh, I'm an idiot! This will work out perfectly!" He knelt down in front of Midori to put himself at face level with Nanako. "Hey there. Name's Kanji. I may look and sound scary, but I'm a really nice guy." He tried smiling, but the girl retreated even further. "Maybe you should bring her back there first?" He looked up at Midori, who nodded.

"Come along Nanako." She said as she gently led her while following Kanji to the back. "I won't be more than ten, fifteen minutes. I hope."

"Eh, most of the stuff was all right," Kanji said casually. With only his mother and Midori in the store, and both of whom didn't have an issue with his hobbies, he could open up just a little. "I was just working on some stuff in the back on my own time. I'm gonna sell the hell out of them!" He raised his voice in triumph, only for Midori to knock him on top of his head.

"Language!" she said.

"Oh, sorry." He looked down in shame. He may be a manly man, but that was no excuse to be rude in front of the little girl. "Right here," he said, glad to be away from his mistake as he opened the door to the living room with the small television to one side, and the table full of scraps and sewing needles and thread on it. "Come on in."

"Here you go, Nana-chi." Midori gently pushed the resisting Nanako into the room. "Don't poke anything sharp. I'll just be a couple doors down." She looked at Kanji. "She hurts herself, I'll hurt you."

The declaration was cold and final, which Kanji agreed with fully. "Hey, any man who hurts a little girl ain't a man no more. You got nothing to worry about from me!"

"I wanna go with you!" Nanako objected to this state of affairs, even though Midori wasn't about to take her into the store room where she would be distracted.

"Sorry, but I'll be within ear shot, so if you need me, you can call out." She said as she gently undid Nanako's grip on her. "Kanji just looks scary. Trust Big Sis!"

Nanako nodded, knowing that using tears wasn't worth it this time. "Come back soon."

"I will. Kanji." She nodded, and the younger man nodded in agreement.

As Midori left, Nanako looked around the room as the scary man with the cute apron sat down at the table. "Hey," he said. "Name's Kanji. You're Nanako. Right?"

She nodded.

"Cool! Hey, you like cute things, right?" He eagerly awaited the answer.

Nanako nodded, looking at the television. "Can I watch?"

"Sure?" Kanji rooted around for the remote, then turned it on. "What do you want to watch?"

"I don't know." She said, almost sad. Kanji shrugged and tuned it to the weather channel, where the lady was predicting rain, rain and fog for the next week or so.

"So, while we're waiting, I can make you something." Kanji indicated the scraps on the table. "Don't tell my Ma, or Midori, but I was thinking of making cute little critters to sell out front, like rabbits and stuff like that." He pulled a pillow full of needles closer to him and away from the girl. "You want a rabbit?"

Nanako spared him a look, but said nothing.

Deciding that if he wanted this to work out, he would need an example, Kanji carefully began to cut the scraps into usable shapes. His idea was simple. Real men were tough, which he was already. No one was ever gonna say he was weak, that's for sure! But as Kaido told him, being tough didn't mean being all growly and physical. As much as Midori objected to him knowing the dude from Tokyo, he had to admit to looking up to the guy. Being tough also meant taking your weaknesses head on, not giving ground until they were beaten down!

So he was going to do his damned best to sew and stitch, and damn what the others said!

Or that would be the case, if he wasn't trying very hard to hide his hobby still. There were limits! But, after a few days of thinking about it, he realized that if he could do things without people knowing about it, he could be a man, and do what he loved without needing to get into a spot where people would laugh at him behind his back. So he was going to make little stuffed animals out of the left overs, and sell them cheap out front. If people didn't know he was the one making the cute things, then everything would work out, right?

And that meant that he now had his first cuteness test. If a little girl liked what he made, then he could move on to the next part of his brilliant plan! And no one would know better!

**Dojima Residence  
><strong>**Evening****  
><strong>

Ryotaro wondered where Nanako had gotten that little patchwork rabbit before deciding it was probably Midori's work, and let it leave his mind. He had bigger things to worry about, like bringing Adachi up to speed.

**Komaki Residence**

Midori curled up on her futon, planning on getting a good night's sleep before a long day ahead of her. She had Classes, Tennis, Student Council, and possibly even another Dolly video if she could make time for it.

An anniversary thus passed unnoticed.


	12. 08 September 2010 to 14 September 2010

**08 September 2010  
><strong>**Central Shopping District, Konishi Liqueurs  
><strong>**Evening**

The delivery truck carefully rolled into its parking spot behind the store in the dim evening and flickering overhead lights. After a moment, the engine was turned off the the parking brakes were set, allowing the driver to open the door and step out.

Midori did so, knees wobbly as all her hours of practise paid off. "Nice!" Saki said as she hopped out the passenger side. "You did the entire route!"

Midori leaned against the warm side of the truck. "Yes, yes I did. Why aren't you driving again?"

"Because my dad told me you needed the practice. And I do the routes on Friday and Sunday."

"Oh. Goody." She held the keys in one hand, watching them reflect the light. "I still feel bad about driving without a license."

"Eh, as long as you don't screw up, the cops will ignore you because we're in the company truck doing deliveries."

"And Uncle Ryotaro."

"Well yes. Having him help your father and mine teaching you certainly helps." Saki went around the back to start unloading empty cartons. "Drop off the keys, then come help me with this, will you?"

"On it!" Midori saluted with a smile then dashed back into the store to return the truck keys. Once she came back out, she grabbed one of the cartons from Saki. "Hey, your mom wants you inside for a moment," she passed along the message. "It seems like your brother got in trouble again."

"Really?" Saki rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Alright, I'll be right back."

Midori felt the weight of the carton she had in hand, then decided to grab a couple more to take all at once. No need to limit herself to what Saki can carry.

**Komaki Residence**

Midori walked in and dropped off her bags. She was tired, she was also a little hungry as she hadn't much to eat earlier. Her daddy wasn't home this week so she simply left her shoes in the entryway rather than put them away properly.

A few steps took her to the kitchen where she raided the fridge for something to eat. Nothing interested her so she pulled out a cup of instant noodles and set some water to boil. She didn't even feel like summoning Frosty to turn on the TV for her.

As she was sitting down at the living room table with her quick meal, she heard the front door open. Not expecting anyone, she leaned back and called out. "Hello?"

"Big sis?" Nanako said as she walked in, closing the door behind her. "Can I come over?"

"What?" Midori pulled herself out from the table and quickly went to the front. "Sure! Why?"

"Daddy had to go out." Nanako was dressed in her pyjamas, holding a blanket and pillow in her tiny hands. That was enough to give Midori a stressful reaction in her chest before she calmed herself. It may have been an emergency call. Just something like that.

"Well then, first thing is first. Have you had a bath yet?"

Nanako shook her head.

"Have you had supper yet?"

She shook her head again. Midori's worry changed to annoyance. She would have to vent to her daddy about this when he got back on Friday.

"Alright. I have some noodles on the table." She took Nanako's burdens and put them off to one side before carrying her to the table. "Ooof. Soon I won't be able to carry you!" She wasn't to that point yet, but it was a nice thing to say. "Eat," she said as she tore off the top of the noodles, and handed Nanako the chopsticks. "I'll get something for myself, then we can have a bath, alright?"

"Alright."

Midori quickly heated up more water for a second cup, and watched as Nanako carefully fed herself. "So, when did Uncle leave?" She wanted information to pass along, and the best source was right in front of her.

"Earlier." Of course she may not have noticed the time properly. Time for a second question.

"What shows were you watching when he left?"

"The news."

So, closer to six then. She glanced at the clock above the kitchen sink. Less than two hours ago. Not that bad, thankfully. The water finished heating, and she poured it out for her own serving. Hopefully this one won't be taken by any other unexpected visitors.

After the two of them had finished eating, Midori showed her to the bath. "Come with me?" Nanako asked as Midori rummaged around for a cute towel for her to use after.

Racking her brains, she realized that in all the months she had been helping take care of the little girl, they had never shared a bath. Well, it was about time to change that, especially as it was her first time in Midori's tub. "Sure! Give me a moment first. Here's the shampoo," she said while handing the large bottle to Nanako, who took it with both hands.

One of the downsides to her hair, Midori knew, was needing more cleaning than normal.

Pretty quickly, they were in the tub, filled with hot water. Nanako sat in Midori's lap playing with a rubber duck that she had found mixed in with the bath supplies while Midori washed her hair. There wasn't a lot of it, though she found herself thinking about what kind of styles she could put it into. Braid it? Probably not as Nanako was still pretty young. Letting it all hang down was out of the question without a proper haircut. The option of twintails or even a pig tail seemed best, and it would be something that she could do for herself without needing adult supervision.

So she asked. "Hey, Nana-chi? Want me to make your hair pretty?"

"You can do that?" Whatever disappointment she had in being forced to come over to her Big Sister's house had evaporated. Nanako twisted around to look her in the eye "Really?"

"Really!" Midori promised. "Although it won't be tonight. We have to let the hair dry out properly, and Big Sis is tired."

Nanako looked sad at that, but Midori took care of that with a hug. "Come on, let's wash up, and go to bed. She passed Nanako a scrub brush then held out her arms in front of the two of them. "You can help me clean!"

Later on still, Midori and Nanako were putting together the bed for the night, Midori laying out the futons for the two of them while Nanako was in charge of the blankets and pillows considering she brought her own with her.

"Big sis?" Nanako asked as she fluffed up the pillows, or tried to at least. "Did you hurt yourself?"

"What do you mean?" The question and answer were honest enough that Midori was honestly confused as to their nature. "I'm not hurt!"

"Your arm," Nanako said as she pointed at Midori's left side.

And she understood. Her left arm wrapped around her near-faded scars from over a year ago, memories buried forcing their way into her mind's eye. "No, Nana-chi. I'm not hurt." she forced herself to let go of the memories. "Well, not for a long time." As long as she skipped the concussion last year, plus the myriad small things that came with fighting Shadows. "Let's got to bed!"

Much later in the night, Nanako woke to the gentle snoring of her big sister wrapping herself around her like a blanket. As she snuggled further into the warm embrace, she saw her arm in the light cast from the street outside. Faint marks ran all the way up from her wrist to where the pyjamas started, and if she turned, she could see a hint of the same around her collar.

Touching them with one finger, her big sister responded by hugging her closer, squeezing gently and... crying? Bis sister was having a nightmare? She knew exactly what to do about that from the times she slept with daddy. Turning inwards, she faced her big sister and wrapped her arms around her neck in a hug before going back to sleep. There would be no more nightmares.

**13 September 2010  
><strong>**Yasoinaba High School, Student Council Room  
><strong>**After School**

It was just the two of them, Dan and Midori. She had found out his full name, and agreed that 'Dan' was much simpler to use. "And my class is last," she announced as she stamped the proposal for her class' participation in the upcoming festival. "And not a minute too soon."

"Or too late," the Quiz King replied, taking the paper and filing it with the others. "Haunted House?"

"Yep. Only one this year, so there's no worry about overlap."

"Should be interesting. What are you doing?" He checked the time on the clock at the other end of the room.

"Me? I'm in charge of costuming and make-up." The two played to her strengths, though she knew full well she couldn't custom make everything in the time required unless she cut classes. Therefore she had already gathered up a couple people to start working on things as well.

"That sounds good," he said. "Can you help me take all this down to the teacher's office?" He indicated the stacks of papers, as well as other things that needed to head back down the two flights of stairs. "And we need to stop by the Announcements Room to drop off the messages for next week."

"Who's in charge of that next week anyways? Ami or Kon?" Midori gathered up what she was asked too, and made for the door. "They keep switching off and it's hard to tell who has it when."

"I think, regarding those two, we should just let them sort it out themselves." Dan opened the door with his foot, then closed it with his shoulder once they had both stepped outside. The rain rippled against the windows. "At least it's not cold enough to start snowing yet."

Midori shivered. That much rain would be a lot of snow. She needed to make sure she had the right clothes for it, as well as Daddy and Nanako. "Please don't remind me." They stopped by the Announcements room and finding no one in there, dropped of the sheets with the scheduled announcements for the following week on the table. "I need to check to see if we have a snow shovel," in addition to making sure the heater in the corner of the house was operating properly. Hopefully that wouldn't involve hiring a professional to start the thing.

They descended down the two flights of stairs, though the Teacher's Office was on the far side of the school. People who were still hanging around the school for whatever reason went around them, which was good as they walked in relative silence.

Morooka took the paperwork from them, professionally thanking them for all their hard work, though Midori thought that he was a bit pleased with himself for some strange reason. But it wasn't her concern so she headed for her class to pick up her stuff before heading home for the day.

"You don't have to follow me," she said as Dan led the way up the stairs to the second floor classes.

"No, but you are following me," he replied, causing Midori to roll her eyes. "Besides, I'm a second year too, remember? My class is up here as much as yours."

"Yeah, I know. 2-4."

"Ah, good!" He looked around as though checking out who was around and who was not. "If you don't mind, I would like to walk with you a ways from the school. There is something I need to discuss."

"Couldn't do it in the office?" She had to go right from the stairs while he had to go right. "Fine. Meet you at the lockers."

**Front Gate**

He waited until they were actually off the school grounds before he spoke. "I have been under pressure for the past week or so from some of my classmates to do something," he said as they descended down the road toward the town proper.

"Yes? Go on." Midori wasn't ready to play coy with him, and to be fair, it wasn't something he was good at either. "Talk plainly."

"Very well," He took a hard moment to steady himself. "I am under some pressure to ask you to be my girlfriend."

"What? Someone passed the Amagi Challenge?" That her first response was less about the impending boyfriend as someone had finally managed to get past Chie and attract Yukiko's attention was something she would reconsider once she had time to think about it."

"No, actually." He at least had the good grace to look away and not match eyes with her. "However, it seems that a lot of our fellow students seem to be under the impression that I, being the Quiz _King_ am suitable for you, the _Queen _of the school." The word choice and emphasis was mistakable, as was his tone. He didn't like the idea.

Midori didn't respond at once, knowing that whatever came out of her mouth would probably be wrong. Instead, she kept walking at a sedate pace, allowing Dan to stay beside her. "You want to fake it?"

"Effectively, yes." The King had obviously prepared for this as he kept speaking without pausing to think. "I want to make it clear to you that I, personally, do not think that this is an appropriate course of action, but circumstances beyond my control have forced the issue." He tried to sound apologetic, but it wasn't something he seemed used to saying.

Midori jumped on the weak point in his argument. "If you wanted to say that you didn't have an interest in me as a girl, then I forgive you. I am not so arrogant as to think my charms will cause every male in the school to fall head over heels for me." She laughed a little. "That would be way too much work to deal with anyways. And Yukiko already has that market cornered."

"That... is a relief." Dan replied with an ease in his chest. "I was concerned you would take this personally."

"Oh, I am!" Midori said right back. "But not against you."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," she replied on reflex. "So, basically, you're being pressured into asking me out by your friends because they think that some silly nickname or title justifies the actions."

"Essentially correct."

"Accepted." Midori agreed without any further need. She was pleased when she saw a flicker of shock cross Dan's face. "We might as well get that out of the way before we can discuss the details of how this is supposed to work."

The Quiz King nodded, recovering from the quick capitulation. He had to remind himself that despite her appearance, she did have the second highest marks in their grade, and it seemed like she could read him like he read a book.

"Shall we discuss the basics today then?" He asked as they neared the intersection at the bottom of the hill. There were students down there who looked up and saw the two of them coming and started whispering amidst themselves. It looks like the rumors were already starting.

"No," Midori said, seeing the same thing. "Too much too soon. Besides, I'm going to have to deal with my friends tomorrow asking me about all this."

"So, we should agree that I asked and you agreed with no embellishments?"

Midori nodded. "Yes. That seems the best. We can tailor how we present ourselves in response to what people are expecting of us."

"Makes sense." He agreed as he considered the simplicity of the plan in allowing the others to define their 'relationship' while allowing the two of them the knowledge that it was all a ruse. And it would prevent them from becoming too invested in their cover if the majority of work on it was done from the outside. "Did you want my phone number in case something comes up?"

"No," Midori said. "I already got it off the Student Council register when I put my information in. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think this is where we should go our separate ways."

**Samegawa Flood Plain**

Midori walked under the shelter of her umbrella, rain pattering against the plastic, going over what just happened in her mind, though her thoughts were more circles than straight lines.

She had been not-asked to be the girlfriend (or did he ask to be her boyfriend? The nuances could be very important) of the so-called 'King' of the school. While it was certainly something she would normally have jumped on with little regard, she had to force herself to thing about just how this was going to affect everything from well... everything!

And she just had to open her big mouth and agree! Was the appeal of having a boyfriend – even one with training wheels attached - to much that she just jumped on it?

Well, she was a second year highschooler. It was only natural. And there was no promise or indication that this would be a long-term thing. Just play the part for a while and it will all blow over. Right?

_HEE~~YYYY THERE!_

_It's Dolly!_

_Now, I'm giving this special update to apologize for missing the one last time. I'm so~ooo vewy sorry!_

_You see, I got a proper confession!_

_Not one of those silly ones!_

_But someone actually asking the me that exists outside of the camera! I wonder if he knows about me? Anyways, I had to say yes because of things, so I'll keep you all up to date on everything._

_Oh, and if I see anyone be mean to me or him anywhere, you'll stop being my friend!_

**Komaki Residence  
><strong>**Evening**

Midori picked up the ringing phone. "Hel"  
>"Name, address and date of birth," Aigis demanded without giving Midori a chance to get through the first syllable of her greeting. "I will conduct a background check."<p>

"What."

"On your new boyfriend."

Midori hit her head against the wall. "Aigis, relax. It's fake."

"You falsely claimed to have gotten a boyfriend?" The robot's tone was sharp. "Why?"

"The claim isn't false. It's just that he was forced to ask because of pressure from his friends, and a silly title of his, and when he explained why to me, I agreed to pretend to be his girlfriend and vice versa in order to simplify things for both of us."

Aigis thought this over in her own way. "So you are lying."

"Not quite."

"Explain."

Midori related how Dan approached her, and his logic in his proposition, and how she accepted. "Does that satisfy you?"

"It does. I know have enough information to commence a full background check. I will get back to you once I have the results." Before Midori could interject any more, Aigis hung up.

She stared at the phone for a second before resetting the device and punching in a memorized number. It rang once, then twice, each tone causing her to worry more and more. "Hel"  
>"FUUKA! YOU HAVE TO STOP AIGIS!" Midori didn't wait for Fuuka to finish her greeting. "She's reacting badly to my latest video and you need to stop her!"<p>

"Midori? What? What are you talking about?"

"I said I had a boyfriend, and Aigis called and now she's doing a _background check_ on him!"

"What?" Fuuka was far too confused by the sudden information to respond more intelligently. "Why would she do that?"

"I don't know! Maybe she's worried? But stop her!"

"I can't. She's not here." Fuuka apologized. "I... I think you're out of luck on this one."

Midori wept crocodile tears. "No! Please don't say that!"

"Sorry, Midori."

"Alright. You are forgiven." Midori wiped away her false reactions. "I'll just figure something out."

**14 September 2010  
><strong>**Yasogami High School, Front Gates  
><strong>**After School**

Chie was waiting for her at the gates, standing there like a statue, legs spread and arms crossed for maximum effect as a barrier. Yukiko leaned against the side of the gates, seemingly unconcerned by the whole thing. "There you are!"

"I am here," Midori said as she approached gently, being calm in the face of the young girl's exuberance. "Is there something you wanted from me?"

"Yes! Training! This social stuff is hard!" Chie complained loudly as other students passed them by. Most ignored the two of them, while others watched just long enough to assure themselves that the Queen had everything in hand.

Midori tilted her head. "You think you can train social skills?"

"Hell yea!" Chie thumped her chest. "Yukiko," she stepped in a bit closer and lowered her voice dramatically, "she's nice and all to everyone, but she's not that good at telling me why. Or how."

Midori instantly listed several points in her head. Yukiko had the Amagi name to go with it, and was probably trained by her mother in proper service etiquette, which she took with her into public. That triggered a cultural appreciation of her attitude, which meant she appeared 'desirable' in the more passive sense. Then she had to admit that her hair and face were also pretty, only adding to the effect. She sighed, then returned her attention to Chie. "So, what have you been doing?"

"Running around, introducing myself, and asking people if they want to be my friends. Duh!"

Midori wanted to slap her own face. "That's... not how you do it."

"Then teach me!"

"Is there a problem?" Dan came up behind Midori to stand at her side. "You are blocking the way, Satonaka-san."

"Well soo~ory!" Chie said as she refused to move. "But I have business with Midori, and that needs to be taken care of."

"And you're failing," Midori said harshly, no longer interested in playing nice with the first-year. "I asked you to learn to be more social, to better understand people, and by your own admission you have done nothing but accost people without first reaching out to them!" She stopped in a huff. "You won't learn from me. You failed. Begone."

Chie didn't move as Midori walked past her, doing her best to ignore the green-jacketed girl. She didn't stop moving until she reached the bottom of the hill, her other senses telling her Dan was still following her at a comfortable distance. "I didn't want to do that," she admitted.

"It's not my place to get involved, but would you mind sharing what has happened?"

Midori spun around, glad for the opportunity to vent to a neutral party. "Short of it is that Chie is jealous of me, and is trying to do things she thinks will help her out without understanding what she is doing, or why, or even how!" She stamped her foot in irritation. "And her blindness to her own folly irritates me!"

Dan kept his face impassive. "It seems to me that this is far more complicated than you're telling me."

Midori smiled. "Of course! It also involves the social structure of the school, age, personal relationships and everything else that we girls keep hidden from the boys that allow us to run the school without you knowing!"

Dan let a grin crack onto his face. "Ah. One of those."

"One of those."

**Komaki Residence**

Midori announced she was home, knowing her daddy was in thanks to his car being in the driveway. Nana-chi wasn't home either, as her shoes weren't in the entry way.

"Welcome home!" her daddy announced from the kitchen, setting alarm bells off in her head.

"Are you cooking, daddy?" She worried that he was, and prepared herself for the worst.

"No," he said as she approached. Midori relaxed a little bit once it was obvious that he was actually using the counter space for work related things. "So, what's this I hear about you getting a boyfriend?"

"Well..." Midori had no idea how to respond to that. This was the worst position she could be in, as she had hoped to ease her father into the idea before revealing it was a fake.

But her father was no stranger to his daughter's actions and preferences. "Don't worry about introducing him to me," he said as he went from paper to paper. "Bring him over tomorrow, and we can sit down and have a man-to-man talk."

"Daddy!" Midori objected loudly. "You are not threatening him!"

Mamoru looked up, quite serious. "I would never do that. For one, I know you can handle yourself. Secondly, any threats will come from Ryotaro. He's got the face and the job to do it better than me."

Midori's brain fell out the side of her head as she processed that Uncle Dojima was willing to do the traditional 'hurt my little girl, and I hurt you' speech. "Dan doesn't need that!"

"Oh, so his name is Dan? Good to know." Mamoru said as he watched his daughter's reactions with a little bit of mirth. It was so rare he got advantage of her like this, and watching her panic like that reminded him so much of his wife. "Oh, one more thing. Amane and Mari will be joining us for supper and staying tonight. One of the other residents in their building caused water damage, and they need to find a different place to sleep."

"WHAT?" Midori yelled. "Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" She dropped her school bags and ran for the stairs. "I have to get sleeping mats out and aired and more food needs to be prepared, and _you should have called me_!"

She vanished up stairs before Mamoru had a chance to say that Amane had already taken the time to set themselves up and had already gone out shopping.

**Evening**

Ryotaro and Nanako came over for supper, making for a large six-person meal that needed to be prepared. Midori, Mari and Amane took over the kitchen, and while Nanako wanted to help with all the other women, she was instead gently relegated to the task of setting the table.

The two fathers relaxed a little bit at the hustle and bustle that came from the kitchen. "Last time I tried cooking, Midori nearly threw me out of the kitchen," Ryotaro admitted. "But that was at least a month ago."

"That she has," Mamoru said, proud of the massive leaps and strides his daughter had made now more than ever. And he knew she would find some way to make him more proud in the future. "I still haven't tried. She wants the practice, I'm not going to get in her way."

"And Nanako is a lot happier now," Ryotaro said as he took a sip of water. "That I can trust Midori to be there when I'm not for her is such a load off my mind."

Mamoru frowned a little bit on the inside, but didn't let it show. "Think it's going to snow sooner or later?"

"With this much rain, I think earlier." Ryotaro said, looking out the window at the darkening skies. "One good cold front, and it will be white until March."

Mamoru shivered at the thought and image. He was far more used to the more southern climates. "Right. Make sure the winter stuff is out and ready in the closet."

"Wait until the snow falls, and then it warms up enough to _rain_," Ryotaro said as he leaned over to look into the kitchen. "Looks like they're almost done in there."

"Ah, good." Mamoru started to organize the stuff on the table, even as Nanako tried to help out her Big Sister with anything she could. Midori tried to shoo her away from being underfoot until Mari took the situation into her own hands and picked Nanako off the floor.

"Time to wash up!" She announced, putting her experiences as a school nurse to good use. Nanako squirmed until Midori told her to go with Mari and show her where the soap was kept. Now with a job to do, she went to it to make her Big Sister proud.

"Hey," Mamoru came to a decision. "After supper, why don't the three of us," it was obvious who the third was, "go out for a drink?"

**Samegawa Floodplain  
><strong>**Night****  
><strong>

In the end, Mari had to decline due to her shift work at the hospital. So the two men had put on their jackets, left the house to the domain of the girls, and walked down to the Central Shopping District and the Shiroku Pub in peace.

Once there, they settled into the usual spot, and ordered the usual drinks. They talked about the weather a bit more, given that this would be the first winter that the Komaki and Mochizuki families had in Yasoinaba. As the native, it was Dojima's responsibility to mix truth with tall tales in order to help and hinder his friend. The alcohol certainly didn't hurt either.

On the way home, Mamoru decided to walk off the path and down to the river bank, dragging Ryotaro down with him. As they walked beside the river, a thin sliver of moonlight bouncing off the water lit their way.

"So, how are things going with your family," Mamoru asked as he watched his breath fog up in the air.

"They're well. My sister and her husband are taking a job overseas next year, and they're asking around to see if anyone is willing to take care of their son."

"Oh. Are you?"

"I don't see why not," Ryotaro said. "His name is Yu, and he's a year younger than Midori. I need to make a decision by January though, in order to make sure all the arrangements are in place." He sighed, looking up into the clear sky. "Add to that getting a new partner, and things are going to be hectic around the house for a while.

"So, Adachi got the job?"

"Yep. Kodai is teaching him what he needs to know to take his place," Ryotaro said. "He's a good kid. Just needs practical experience and he'll be a brilliant detective in a few years."

"That's good to hear." Mamoru replied.

"I know!" Ryotaro said even as the alcohol slipped away at his inhibitions. "Without Midori, I don't know what I would do! She's so trustworthy, and Nanako looks up to her. I could leave her in her Bis Sister's care, and not worry about a thing!"

Mamoru punched Ryotaro.

Falling to the ground, the police officer was stunned before his training kicked in. He got back to his feet and wiped his jaw, checking for bleeding "What was that for?" He demanded as Mamoru stood there, glowering. The two men swayed a little as they held their ground. "What?"

"Punching first, talking later." Mamoru said just before he charged at Ryotaro, who spun around the blow to try and throw him away. But the former stuntman was too experienced for that, and stayed within reach of the police officer. He lashed out with a quick jab, which Ryotaro deflected before being forced to defend against a couple sharp body blows.

"It's a fight you want? It's a fight you get!"

**Yasoinaba Municipal Hospital**

Mari was called down to the front desk personally, which caused her to hastily reorganize her workload. Annoyed, but refusing to show it out of professionalism, she went down to the first floor, and stopped when she saw why she had been called.

"Detective Dojima asked for you to help," the front Nurse said apologetically. "Said it was a family matter."

Mamoru and Ryotaro sat in adjacent seats, faces bruised, both showing signs of having fought each other. "What happened?" she demanded in the nearly-empty room.

"We had a discussion. Like men." Mamoru said.

"We let our fists do the talking." Ryotaro clarified.

"Tell me why, or I'm going to call your daughter," she pointed at Mamoru, "and let her deal with the two of you."

They shared a look before Ryotaro deflated. "Mamoru was.. is concerned that I've been depending on Midori too much to raise Nanako. He.. objected to the amount of trust I have in her, and wanted me to be more active in Nanako's life."

She looked to Mamoru, who was unapologetic. "So you decided the best way to sort this out was through a fight?"

"It seemed like a good idea at the time," he said. "She's the better person in all this, and I don't want to see her taken advantage of."

"You sure this isn't you reacting to her getting a boy friend?" Ryotaro poked at Mamoru with one finger. "Can't beat him up, so I'm the next best thing?"

"Oh shut up!" The two friends shared a grin. Whatever happened was behind them, and Mari saw no reason to stay around.

"Fine. You two men do your thing. I'm going back to work. The duty-nurse can see to your injuries, and don't be surprised if Midori adds to them!"


	13. 20 September 2010 to 25 September 2010

**20 September 2010  
><strong>**Yasogami High School, Student Council Office  
><strong>**After School**

"Please, please please!" Chie clapped her hands together in supplication as she pleaded her case.

The Quiz King was unimpressed. "You actually think this will work?" He asked the junior girl after she had made her request known. "Even given that you're coming to me, and not Midori?"

"You're the King! And, like, her boyfriend! She'll listen to you!"

"No," Dan replied evenly. "She will listen to _reason_. To _action._ Of which I have seen neither in your attempts to learn whatever it is you want from her." He didn't want to do this, as this was obviously a personal matter. And yet here he was anyways.

Chie looked crestfallen. "But I have to learn it! It's important."

The worst part was that neither one wanted to say what _it_ was. Midori had implied it was something between girls, but Chie was nothing like that in personality.

"Very well, if you so endeavour, I can see that you do work for the Student Council." Dan said, accepting the best of the poor situation. "Prove yourself to her, and maybe you can have her secrets, whatever they may be."

**Tatsumi Port Island, Gekkoukan High School**

Chihiro waited for the number she was given to connect, not feeling bad about this at all. It was picked up. "Kirijo Mitsuru," the woman on the other end said. "How are you, Vice-President Fushimi?"

"I am well," Chihiro replied, bowing, even though Mitsuru wouldn't be able to see it. "I heard back from Midori, and your advice worked well. She was able to convince the other member of the Council to accept your suggestion."

"That is good to hear," Mitsuru said, the faint sounds of a plane in the background. "Thank you again for contacting me in this matter."

"Thank you for your wise advice." Chihiro paused before asking the awkward question. "Are you sure you didn't want to talk to her directly? Or for me to reveal your input? You are more respectable than I am."

"Do not sell yourself short, Fushimi." Mitsuru said gently. "You are her friend, and she came to you in that measure. As for the relation between Midori and myself, to say it is strained would be putting it politely."

"She truly does hold a grudge." Chihiro commented quietly. "Ah, about that other thing?"

"Yes, I have reviewed the proposal. While I doubt we can do it this year, there is sufficient time to organize it next year." Mitsuru smiled on her end. "I have to admit, the idea of switching entire year's worth of students for a couple days to foster understanding and respect between schools is an amazing idea, and I wish I could be there to oversee it personally. Morooka-sensei is a good man, and while I will be handling the overall negotiations directly, I will have to leave the details to you when you are President next year."

It didn't escape Chihiro's notice that Mitsuru had enough power over the school to dictate who would be in charge years after she left. "Thank you, President Kirijo. Have a nice day."

"And you as well."

**22 September 2010  
><strong>**Konishi Residence  
><strong>**Evening**

Saki poured herself another cup of tea as Amane carefully read and re-read her math book. Once Midori had explained that her friend, the priestess, needed to complete her education properly, Saki agreed, and not only for the sake of the Shopping District, but because she liked helping out her friends.

"How is it going?" she asked.

Amane didn't look up from her books. "Slowly. I have much to catch up on." The former cultist had a lot of work to do, it was obvious. And while Mari helped out as much as she could, her duties at the hospital meant she didn't have as much time to help tutor as she could.

"Math is math," Saki's father said from the kitchen table where he was cleaning up. "It doesn't change no matter how you look at it, so I suggest you take your time at it."

"Thank you," Amane said. "It is just... tedious."

Midori nodded as she held the poetry book in front of her. The words were ready to swim off the page and through her head like white noise, such was how tired she was of looking at them. "I wish this was that easy," she groaned.

"It is," Amane replied. "Understanding of the intricate choices in poetry makes for elegant words in speech and in writing."

"Says you," was the retort. "So, you coming to the school for our Culture Festival?"

"I believe I shall," Amane agreed. "You said you are going to be in the Haunted House?"

"Yep."

"She's dressing up as a demon," Saki said with a grin. "Don't ask me how, but she got this skin paint that will glow under a black light! I saw her practice the designs with her costume. It's scary!"

Amane fixed Midori with a dread stare. "A demon?"

"Well, not a real demon," Midori said, careful of their audience. "More like a half-demon. A demi-fiend, you could say!"

"I like what you've done with your hair," Mr. Konishi said to Midori, not knowing he was interrupting. "Very mature."

Midori self-consciously touched her hair, pulled back and straight with no curls or 'cute' means of displaying it. "Thanks." After Monday's Dan acting on her behalf, she needed a change to a more serious look while maintaining her standards of grooming, and this was the best she could come up with, letting it hang down her back before tying it off at the bottom. It meant cutting a bit of it off, but it wasn't like it wasn't going to grow back eventually.

**24 September 2010  
><strong>**Yasogami High School, Class 2-2  
><strong>**Afternoon**

The last classes of the day were cancelled so that the classrooms could have more time to prepare. Midori was leading her other actors in the haunted house in costume prep while the Class Rep took over making sure the classroom itself was properly pathed and the blackout curtains were hung with care.

"Yuki-Onna, check." Midori performed one last tug on the sleeve of Saki's costume.

"I think you would be better for this," her friend said as she stood still. "You have the hair for it."

"Wrong kind of blue," she said. And besides, she wasn't going to betray Frosty by pretending to be some lesser Demon! "You're good."

Midori moved on as Saki removed the costume behind the privacy screen. "So, how's your new servant on the council?"

"Ugh," Midori shook her head as she checked the next costume, this time without the student wearing it. "Too much energy, not enough direction. Having her run laps would be a better use of her skills if it wouldn't result in a massive backfire on me."

Sake emerged, back in normal clothes. "She's been running around, doing lots of physical work according to the people I've talked too."

"That's something, at least." Midori checked the last costume, and signed off on it. "Rep?" She called out as she stuck her head out from the small staging area. "I'm good back here."

"Understood!" the Representative replied. "The King wanted you to head up to the office when you're done to make sure things are alright up there."

Midori bowed in understanding. "Of course. I'll be back." She pointed at the costumes. "And if anyone ruins those, they'll answer to me!"

A chorus of agreements came from behind her as Midori left the classroom and headed for the stairs.

**Gymnasium**

Yukiko watched as Chie ran around, moving tables and chairs into neat stacks after they had been removed from their classes to make more room. Somehow, with Chie getting onto the Council, she herself had been given assignments as well by the King and Queen. Right now, she was to supervise the use of the gym as a storage facility.

Her mother had naturally found out about her new position, and was quite proud of Yukiko for it. Although she had also contacted the two rulers, and made certain that her duties at school wouldn't interfere with her responsibilities at the Inn.

And her mother had apparently been taken with the Queen, accepting that she would be a good role model for her daughter at school, and she encouraged Yukiko to follow her example.

Which confused the Amagi heiress, as she couldn't see much to emulate that she didn't already do.

**Student Council Office**

Midori slid around the small lineup of people to where Dan was busy looking over paperwork. "Sorry," she apologized as she grabbed a seat. "Costuming took longer than I expected."

"I understand." Dan said as another line formed in front of Midori. The analytical part of him noted that the people in the room tended to divide themselves along gender lines when the two of them were present, and that Midori had a larger percentage of males who sought her out than females waiting to talk to him. He could come up with some conclusions about that, but now wasn't the time. He took the next person's papers and started to read them over. Another request.

"I think," he said conversationally, "we should consider moving this back a month next year, to give people more time to work on everything."

"Motion seconded." Midori replied as she stamped her name in approval of whatever it was in front of her. "All in favour?"

"Yes." "Yes."

"Motion passed," Dan said, sealing the deal. "I'll talk to the teachers next week about all this."

A ripple of laughter went through the small group of students still waiting. Seeing the normally unflappable King and Queen act like that was a good moment of stress relief.

**25 September 2010  
><strong>**Yasogami Highschool, Room 2-2  
><strong>**Daytime**

"This, I have to see." Chie announced as she and Yukiko wandered the halls. "The only Haunted house this year." She looked at the two people manning the front desk and handed over the two tickets for her and Yukiko.

"Are you sure?" Yukiko asked. "There could be ghosts."

A scream came from inside the room, causing the two first-years to pause. "Nah, no ghosts." Chie announced. "That had to be recorded."

"It sounded authentic." Yukiko observed. "But you have already paid for our admission. Shall we enter?"

"Yea, we should." Chie let the door be opened for her and Yukiko. Fog rolled out, covering their ankles before the door was closed behind them, shutting them into a dark-red lit antechamber.

"Last chance to flee... mortals!" A cackling evil voice announced from somewhere.

"Just a hidden speaker." Chie was emboldened by the simple tricks involved. "There's nothing scary in here!"

The two girls pushed through the drapes into the next 'room', this one had a line of electric candles strung out on the floor to guide them into the next area, while to both sides, spiderwebs hung from everything. Sounds of the woods echoed quietly around them as they advanced a few steps, following the path.

"Can you help me?" A voice asked from behind them, and the two slowly turned around to see a Winter Woman slowly advance on them, arms out stretched. "Are you lost? Am I lost?" she muttered as she advanced on them slowly. "Please?"

A cold draft ran around their ankles, and the two started to back up. They weren't scared, obviously, but they knew better than to talk to strange women dressed in white in the woods, that much was for sure!

"Um, look at the time! We have places to be!" Chie said as they crossed the threshold into the next chamber, leaving the snow lady behind them.

"So soon?" A masculine voice rumbled from behind the two. "I was not yet prepared for supper..."

Chie and Yukiko turned around to be face to face with a smiling vampire. The sharp fangs gleamed in the low light, while the crimson cape seemed to fade into the blackness. "Care to... dine?" He offered.

Midori waited under the table, listening and watching for the signs of the next group to come through. So far, her actions were perfect, though she had more to thank from Frosty gently riding on her back and his aura than any performance of hers.

A good actress knew when to thank her support staff, and she absolutely adored Frosty for it. And she could even brag about this to Aigis!

She heard the patter of feet from the previous 'room' and prepared herself for her entrance. Like a ghoul rising from the grave...!

The two friends nearly stumbled over themselves as they came into the next place. The string of lights on the floor was the only source of illumination, and in it they could vaguely make out the barriers that surrounded them.

They stopped to catch their breath, even as their sense of foreboding increased. "Alright," Chie admitted. "Maybe this is scary."

"I agree." Yukiko said as she looked around. "What is in this room?"

In response, a glowing hand reached up past a black edge. Black patterns on white skin were edged in throbbing green lines that pulsated sickly in the black lights around them. Even as more of the arm appeared, the sense of _wrong_ and _evil_ increased, a pressure on the spirit that caused the two girls to back up without meaning.

"What is that..." Chie wavered in her resolve as enough of the glowing arm appeared to prop up a second one. A soft groan came from behind the edge, a singular sound of hunger. "Yukiko?"

The... thing ascended. Female in shape, the white skin was covered in bold black patterns, and the green lines were _everywhere_. "Your souls..." It said, reaching out to them, intent on devouring their very essence.

Chie and Yukiko screamed, and started to run away from the apparition of horror from beyond the edge of the world.

Midori couldn't see who she had scared away this time, the glasses she wore would ruin the effect of her costume. Setting Frosty down, she adjusted the chest strap a little, and then examined the black lights that strobed through the room to give her glowing lines their pulsing vein effect. After that, she retreated for the next batch.

Out in the hallway, Ryotaro watched as a pair of young girls crashed out of the room, screaming in terror. Nanako buried herself in his leg, hands over her ears as the two plastered themselves against the windows. The taller one in the green jacket pointed back at the still open door. "WHAT was that?" she yelled.

"How about you keep your voice down?" Ryotaro admonished the girl, patting his daughter to comfort her.

The girl looked at him, then at Nanako. Recognizing that she had frightened the little girl with her outburst, she apologized. "I'm sorry. It's just... very scary thing in there." She gestured at the absolutely adorable girl with the twin tails still hiding behind her father. "I don't recommend going in."

"Apology accepted." Ryotaro said before turning to the two students manning the front desk to the Haunted House. "Hello. I'm Dojima, this is Nanako. Is Midori available?"

"One moment." One of the two got up and poked their head inside the front door, having a quick conversation with whoever was inside. He returned and stood in front of the door in order to make an announcement. "The Haunted House of Class 2-2 is not open for the next hour! We will re-open later!" He bowed to Ryotaro. "We could use the break anyways, so thank you for your presence."

Over the next few minutes, the students inside the room filed out in ones or twos, laughing and enjoying the frights they had inflicted on the unsuspecting participants of their little project.

Finally, Midori stepped out, a jacket over her shoulder. For a moment, Ryotaro had unsettling thoughts of his niece being in a gang with her black pants and open jacket, but then shot them down. The body paint alone must have taken a couple hours to put on, so of course she wasn't going to risk it with putting on more clothes, even with the slight chill in the air.

"Nanako!" She said gladly as she set her glasses on her face properly. "Uncle! You came!" She looked around. "Where's daddy?"

"Sudden business call," Ryotaro responded sadly. "Last I heard, he was in his office talking with people in Kyoto."

Midori winced. "Oh well." She saw Nanako hiding, and bent down. "Hey Nana-chi. Am I scary?"

Nanako half-nodded, causing Midori to flounder. "I didn't mean to be..." She said as she stood up. "So, aside from saying hello, how are things?"

"Good," Ryotaro said. "Work is coming along, the weather hasn't gone to full winter yet, and, well, this is a good way to spend the afternoon with Nanako."

"Well, come on then," Midori said. "I heard that one of the first-year classes was serving good ice cream. Do you want some shaved Ice, Nana-chi?"

**Class 1-D**

The three of them sat at a table while they waited for their order of ice cream. Nanako had taken a spot far from Midori, which caused the older girl to sigh. "It's just makeup and paint," she said again, though it was obvious that she wasn't getting through.

"There you are!" Midori winced at the voice and buried her head in her hands.

"Is there a problem, _Satonaka_?" She said, putting a lot of emphasis on the name to show that she did not appreciate the interruption.

Chie and Yukiko pulled up chairs, Nanako shifting away from the strangers, even as Yukiko gave her a warm smile. "Hello. My name is Yukiko," she said to Nanako. "And you are?"

Nanako didn't respond as she shied away from the strangers. So her father spoke on her behalf. "Sorry about Nanako. She's not good around strangers."

Chie ignored the interplay on the other end of the table, instead focusing on the impassive Midori. "You did that thing," she accused.

"What thing?" Midori asked innocently.

"The thing!" Chie hissed back. "You know!"

"I know nothing." Midori said again, giving a meaningful glance at the others at the table. Chie took the hint, for which Midori was thankful. She didn't want to fight it out with the others in earshot. Or at school in general for that matter.

"I must say," Yukiko turned her attention to the second-year student. "That I was quite thrilled with your haunted house."

"No, you were scared." Chie noted. "And to think you like horror movies!"

Yukiko did not reject the point. "I thought they would prepare me. But it seems like watching them on television does not prepare oneself for the horrific atmosphere of one in person."

Midori kept a straight face, even as Chie gave an accusatory look at her. They both knew what the 'atmosphere' was, but only Midori knew its true source. "Well," she said, "I am an actress. And I have taken a lead in making sure everyone can play their parts correctly."

Four and a half servings of ice cream were delivered by one of the students dressed as a waiter. After giving thanks, they all started to eat.

"Oh! I'm not complaining at all!" Yukiko said. "Quite the opposite. In fact, I must compliment you on your costume."

Midori felt a little flush at the thanks. "Thank you. It was a lot of hard work."

"I can believe that. How did you get the lines to glow in the dark?"

"You can buy them online," Midori said. "Just make sure you have a black-light handy."

"Was it expensive?"

Midori knew better than to quote a price. "I could afford it," she said instead to avoid answering. "I was more concerned with the pattern. Nanako helped!"

"She did?" Yukiko and Ryotaro asked at the same time, though for different reasons. "How?" the detective finished his question.

"Oh, she helped test out the samples I got a couple weeks ago," Midori explained casually. "Remember when you got to pain on my arms?" She said, leaning over to try and get a better look at the shrinking little sister.

"I followed the lines." Nanako said, even though she had a spoon in her mouth, causing her father to quietly remind her not to speak with something in her mouth.

Midori watched as Chie and Yukiko beamed at her cute little sister, suppressing a shot of jealousy in the process. "Yes, you did!" She confirmed. "Then I put some on your nose, and showed you how it glowed."

Satisfied, Ryotaro turned his attention to Chie and Yukiko. "So, you two friends of Midori?"

"No, sir." Yukiko said. "We're both first years, and Chie only just started working for the Student Council."

"Ah," he said, finishing off his bowl. "Did you need help, Nanako?" She shook her head against the suggestion that she couldn't finish her sweets. "So, how are things coming along, Midori?"

"In terms of my class, or the festival as a whole?" she asked for clarification.

"Both."

"Well, for the Council, and all this," Midori gestured at the school grounds in general, "most of it can be handled by the classes themselves. All we have to do is make sure things run smoothly. And then there's dealing with Miss hyper-active here." She pointed at Chie with her spoon, who took the insult with a glare of her own.

"I am not hyper-active! I simply have a lot of energy!"

"She does," Yukiko confirmed as she finished off the last of her treat. "We should be going. Thank you. And have a nice day, Nanako-chan." She smiled at the child, then escorted her friend out before any more 'conversation' could happen. "I would like to discuss how you were able to create such an atmosphere of fear! It was a wonderful experience!"

Chie's reply was cut off as they exited the room.

"Well," Ryotaro said as he watched Nanako finish her sugary dessert, "I do not miss High School at all."

**Komaki Household  
><strong>**Evening**

Nanako let herself in, using the key that Uncle had given her daddy. They had gone out for their usual Saturday thing, and she was big enough that they knew she could walk over to her Big Sister's home without needing someone to hold her hand.

Closing and locking the door behind her, she took off her shoes and jacket, putting them in the closet like she was taught. She could hear running water from upstairs, which meant that Big Sis was taking a bath.

Eager to surprise her, she crept up the stairs, ignoring the feeling in her stomach that what she was doing was wrong. But she was a brave girl, and if there was any problems, Big Sis would come to rescue her!

Reaching the bathroom, she heard the sounds of running water, which further emboldened her to sneak in. She could share bath-time with Big Sister and wash her hair and get her hair washed! It would be fun!

Grabbing a towel with cute bears on it that Uncle had bought for her after she had started coming over regularly, she got ready to enter the bath properly. Sliding the door open, she saw Big Sister sitting on a stool, with the shower running to let her wash her hair.

And something was washing her back. It was black and wore a hat, and naturally she screamed because it was _evil_.

**Living Room  
><strong>**Later**

Midori embraced Nanako as she let her relax after her huge mistake. She had come in and saw Frosty washing her back to get rid of the body paint and reacted badly. So after a few moments of mutual panic, she had dismissed Frosty and worked to calm Nanako down.

Now she was busy trying to figure out how to explain this to her. And in terms that the young girl would understand. Telling her the full truth would be impossible for a large variety of reasons.

But she had an idea, and that germinated into a proper plan. Resting her chin on top of Nanako's head she confessed.

"Big Sis is a Magical Girl." There, time to lie while telling the truth. "You want to hear the whole story?"

Nanako shifted to try and look up at Midori, who gave her a sad smile at the same time. "Really?"

"Really." Midori agreed. "But you have to promise me not to tell anyone else."

Nanako thought about that. "But Magical Girls aren't real! They're cartoons on television!"

Midori grinned at that. "And where do you think people got the idea? Promise me, and I'll tell you!"

"Alright, I promise." Nanako squirmed a little bit so she could face her Big Sis while sitting in her lap for story time.

"Good. Now, long ago, your Big Sister went to a Concert. It was late at night, but she had permission to be out to late." She had to make sure that Nanako didn't get the idea that sneaking out at night was the key to getting super powers. It was more likely to give you a cold instead. "While she was there, it turned midnight and the world changed. You know from those shows, where there is the Evil Dimension where all the bad guys live?"

Nanako nodded.

"Well, it happened, and there was a Bad Demon there called a _Shadow_. Everyone else was frozen in place, trapped! But Big Sis wasn't. As she was trying to figure out what to do, because you're right, these things are only supposed to happed on television, other Magical Girls appeared!"

"Really?!"

"Yep! Their leader was Mitsuru, and she had the power of Ice through her Persona."

"Per-su-nah?"

"Per-so-na." Midori corrected. "It's what we called our familiars. You know how witches have cats?" Nanako nodded in confirmation. "Well, we magical girls had Personas to help us use magic. Mitsuru's Persona is called _Artemisia_."

"Art...e...miso?" Nanako struggled with the Greek name, so Midori mollified her with a gentle pat on the head. "I can't say it."

"Don't worry," Midori said. "You can practise later if you want to. Anyways, she was the leader, she was tall, elegant" also a Control Freak, she reminded herself, "pretty, but not as pretty as me, has a sword, and fought with Ice Magic." She waited for Nanako to process this information before speaking more.

"There was also Yukari. If Mitsuru was red, then she was pink. She had a bow, and her Persona _Isis_ allowed her to heal and she could use the power of Wind as well. Fuuka is green, and she didn't have a weapon as she was support with her Persona _Juno_. She could scan and find the enemies, which is awesome! And there was Aigis as well, white was her color, and her Persona was _Athena_." Midori frowned, not wanting to mention the Robot's use of guns as a weapon. "She used a spear, and her magic powers made her stronger."

Nanko tried to keep all this information straight, but failed as she was enthralled by Midori's memories. "Anyways, they beat up the Demon, and because I was able to see the fight and the Evil Dimension, I had the power they had as well! So I said the magic words," She remembered what she said in Igor's presence, "and my Persona came! He is _Black Frost_ and he can use the power of Fire and Ice. I even got to use a wand as my weapon!"

"No way!" Midori counted, and realized that Big Sis was the fifth person on the team.

"Yes way!" Midori argued. "Anyways, they explained to me that every Full Moon, a new Shadow would enter the real world from a place called Tartarus, and that the one they just beat up was called 'The Hermit'. They invited me to join, and naturally, I did!"

She knew she was doing a disservice to all the guys on the team, and to Shinjiro and Mintao in particular, but Nanako was in no way prepared for that information. Let the story be told such that the Good Guys always won, as that was what she would expect.

"Now, obviously, things couldn't be that easy. You see, there were bad people who served the Shadows, and they called themselves STREGA. There were three of them. And between Full Moons, they would seek to do evil things."

"Did you fight them?"

"Only sometimes. You see, we could only use our magic powers while in The Dark Hour, where the Shadows dwell, both us and them. But because we, as the good guys were winning, they started to get desperate for a win. But the girl on the evil team, her name is Chidori. You see, the Shadows wanted to cover the land and make everyone sleep forever, for while people slept, they could exist, instead of just in that moment at Midnight. Anyways, Chidori fell in love with one of the boys who lived in the Dorm where we all lived. His name in Junpei, by the way. And because of that, she didn't want to sleep forever, because she had the power of Love in her heart!" She was also certain that if and when Chidori found out about this, she would be in more trouble than expected. "So Chidori came to us when it wasn't the Full Moon, and begged Mitsuru for protection."

"Did she have magic, too?"

"Of course! She used an axe, and her Person was named _Helios_ which is another word for the Sun."

"Why would the Sun sleep?" Nanako asked innocently.

"Have you ever wanted to fall asleep in the day, when the sunlight was making everything warm?"

"Uh-huh... oh!" Nanako understood that. "Not all sleeping is done at night!"

"Right! Well, because it was named for the sun, her power was Fire, and healing. So we all argued, and I convinced everyone that Love was the right thing, and we agreed to protect her and Junpei from the Bad Guys. Naturally they tried to hurt Junpei, but that was our final battle with them, before we beat them for good!"

"Yay!"

"Yay indeed!" Midori agreed with a smile, lying through her teeth. There was no victory there, not until they cheated.

"So, we beat up STREGA, and Chidori realized that she couldn't just stand by and let us fight by ourselves, not when she was in Love, so she joined us for the final battle. You see, we thought there were twelve Full Moon Shadows, and they used the Tarot Cards for their symbols. Magician, Priestess, Emperor, Empress, Heirophant, Lovers, Chariot, Justice, Hermit, Fortune, Strength, and Hanged Man. But we forgot something because we thought there were twelve of them and twelve months in a year."

"What did you forget?"

"We forgot that there are thirteen Full Moons in a year," Midori said. "And there was a thirteenth Full Moon Shadow." Nanako was hanging on to her every word, and Midori said the next one in a hushed tone. "Death. You see, sleep means that there is no one aware of the world, and if no one is aware, can anyone live? The last Shadow was Death, and we fought it with all our might. And we won through the power of Love. Our love for each other as friends, for our families, for our love of life."

Nanako stared at her, wide eyed.

"And we won!" Midori said happily, ignoring the sacrifices made. "And because we won, we thought we would go back to our normal lives."

She sighed. "Except we didn't. You see, because we had power, but without the Dark Hour to use it in, I was the first to discover that I could summon my Persona in the real world." Her face took on a serious expression. "What you saw when you came in to the bathroom was my Persona, Black Frost. I call him Frosty."

Nanako remembered that and nodded.

"Would you like to meet him properly now? He can be very scary when he wants to be, but he's also cute."

She thought about this very hard, but in the end, there was only one decision she could make. "Can I?"

"Of course!" Midori said as she pulled out Frosty's card. "You ready?"

"Uh huh!"

"BLACK FROST!"

**Night**

Midori picked up the phone as Nanako was now in bed. She had to do this. She dialled Aigis' number, and waited for her friend to pick up. "Hello, Midori. It's later than your usual call time."

"Oh, I was busy today," Midori said to start her explanation. "We had the Culture Festival today, and after I got home, Nana-chi came over after our dads went out drinking and she came into the bathroom while Frosty was washing my back."

She could feel Aigis freeze on the other end of the line. "She saw Black Frost."

"Yep. So I had to make up a story to explain it in terms she could understand, and now I want to tell you what I told her."

**Kirijo Group HQ**

Mitsuru was silent and still as Aigis relayed Midori's accident and cover up. Fuuka was summoned, and the three of them thought about what happened.

"At least it was a child," Fuuka pointed out. "No one will believe her if she was to say that Midori was a... a... Oh I can't believe that Midori would make such a story! Can you imagine Aigis in a seifuku? _ Chidori_ in one?"

"And yet she did. An excellent piece of improvisation, which should never have had to happen in the first place," Mitsuru kept her breathing under control. "You are both of the opinion that the damage is done, and contained?"

"Correct," Aigis said. "It is unbelievable, though anyone who knows the truth who hears that story will undoubtedly make the correct connections."

"And everyone who knows the truth won't be using it against us," Mitsuru confirmed. "I want the two of you to go to Yasoinaba tomorrow to debrief Midori. She can't make that slip up again." She would have done that herself, but knew better than to antagonize Midori when there were other options.

"We'd have to leave now to catch a train," Aigis calculated the timing involved.

"You won't be taking a train," Mitsuru pointed out, "I will have Kikuno fly you two out there on a helicopter in the morning. And she will take you back once you're done."

"I think this is a mistake," Fuuka warned. "Midori has plenty of experience in keeping secrets, and she made her story in such a way as to fit with the conventions of the Magical Girl genre. And she didn't mention Tokyo at all."

"I agree with your rationalization of her actions, and that's why I'm sending the two of you to talk to her, instead of going myself."


	14. 26 September 2010 to 27 September 2010

**26 September 2010  
><strong>**Komaki Residence, Outside  
><strong>**Daytime**

Amane and Dan met at the point where the sidewalk met the driveway up to Midori's home. They bowed to each other. "Thank you for your assistance," the priestess said.

"It is not a problem," the Quiz King replied. "Midori asked for my assistance with your studies, and explained the pertinent details in advance so that I knew what I was getting into."

"What details did she reveal?"

"She informed me that your conventional education was declined in favor of your religious teachings by your family, and you seek to qualify for at least a High School graduation." There was no recrimination in his voice for in a small town like Inaba, there was no shortage of people who had given up school to get a job. It was simply a fact of life, and an option available to people.

Amane was thankful that Midori knew exactly what to tell people to prevent them from asking awkward questions. Without her, she knew her life would be much harder. Their shared experiences meant she would be a buffer against the world she didn't know, another point in favor of never being able to repay Midori for her friendship.

Together they walked up to the front door, and Dan took the lead in pressing the doorbell.

"Coming!" they heard Midori yell from inside, then the patter of her feet running through the house to the front door.

"She forgot," Amane commented quietly.

"I think so," Dan replied just as quietly.

The door was wrenched open, revealing Midori with an apron over pants and a long-sleeved shirt, a headband keeping her hair out of her face. She looked at the two of them before smacking herself on the forehead. "I forgot, didn't I?"

"Yes," they replied in unison.

Midori dropped her head down. "Damn it," she muttered before pulling her chin up. "Come in! Don't stand out in the cold. I was just cleaning." She held the door open for them and then closed in once they were in. "Sorry, I just suspect I'm going to have some visitors today and I wanted to make the place look clean for them.

"You, or your father?" Dan asked as he set aside his shoes and hung up his jacket. "And if you're busy, we can go somewhere else?"

"No! No!" Midori hastily ripped off the apron and headband, rolling them up in her hands as she tried to organize her thoughts, failing badly. "I think I'm going to have visitors today. Me. Personally."

Amane raised one eyebrow. "Really? When did you find out about this?"

"Last night." Midori brought her two guests into the living room and bid them sit. "I mean, they're friends and all, but it's just so short notice."

Dan looked around. "Well, everything seems in order. Why don't you take a break and help with the studying?"

Amane agreed. "Share some tea with us," she suggested. "It cannot be that bad of an encounter if you are willing to let us stay here while they are coming."

Midori took a deep breath to steady herself. "Sorry. Sorry. I'm just stressed. Barely got any sleep last night." She went to the kitchen to start boiling some water. "And no, I'm not going to tell you what it's about."

"I wasn't going to ask," Dan said as he opened his text books. "Well, Amane-miko-san, where would you like to begin?"

"You can drop the 'miko'," Amane said. "I am not on the job, so to speak. You need not use that title. And I am studying for my literature tests."

"Ah, good." Dan shuffled the books in front of him until he found the right ones. "Oh, Midori?"

"Yes?" she replied from the kitchen.

"Is Saki coming over as well?"

"No, she can't." Midori explained. "Her dad needed her to help at work today."

"A pity," Amane said. "I enjoy her company."

**Yasoinaba Municipal Airport**

Fuuka and Aigis stepped away from the helicopter under the guidance of Mitsuru's aide. Once they were in the relative comfort of the local arrivals building, Fuuka looked around at the small room they were in. "So," she said as she patted down her jacket from the rainfall outside, "you remember where Midori lives?"

This technically wasn't an official mission for the Shadow Operatives, the two of them out here. Although it would have eventually been one if the politics weren't getting in the way.

"Of course," Aigis replied as she adjusted her school uniform. The lack of preparation time meant that she didn't have anything else to wear. "A car is waiting for us over there." She pointed out the front of the building. "We will return when we can," she then said to their pilot, who bowed in response.

She had her own duties to attend to.

**Central Shopping District**

The two girls took the taxi from the airport through town, both looking out the windows through the light rain as the town seemed to sleep on the Sunday. Their driver didn't voice any questions about the two of them going through town, though his eyes were another matter.

Fuuka actually found the place relaxing in its own quaint countryside manner. "Midori must be going crazy," she commented as they turned left at the bottom of the hill.

"What do you mean?"

"She's lived all her life in big cities, even Tatsumi met that criteria in a way. A small town like this must be a big shock to the system."

"I believe she has adapted well."

"Perhaps," Fuuka didn't agree. "But I can't help but worry. She always puts on a good face..."

"What is the reasoning behind your supposition?" Aigis asked, concerned for her friend in Midori warring with trusting her co-worker and friend in Fuuka.

"Intuition, I think. It's something that I just get this feeling of from the way you and Junpei and Chidori talk about her, and from my occasional conversation with her. I may just be imagining things."

"I believe you are."

The taxi rolled up a small hill and turned right. "Almost there, girls." Their driver announced before pulling up in front of a newly built house. "Here we are."

"Thank you," Fuuka said as she paid their fare in cash before getting a receipt. She joined Aigis under the umbrella that the robot held against the light rain as the Taxi pulled away.

"Should we not have asked him to wait for us?" Aigis queried.

Fuuka shook her head. "No. Who knows how long we're going to be? And waiting would mean the fare keeps going."

Aigis did the math in her head, and agreed with the economics of Fuuka's decision. "I sense there are multiple people in her house," she looked at the building, panning her head back and forth. "All three in the living room at the front of the building."

"That's not good," Fuuka said. "It would be better if we could talk to her in private.

"Agreed," Aigis spoke. "Though we are not expected, and did not arrange a proper meeting."

The two walked up to the front door, pausing before ringing the doorbell. "Perhaps it's her father and one of his friends?" Fuuka said, "If that's the case, getting some privacy with her will be easy."

"No," Aigis said, looking through the wall. "My sensors indicate that they are closer to her age."

Fuuka frowned. "We will handle things as they come then." She reached up and knocked on the door, sharply rapping the wood rather than using the electronic bell.

"Coming!" the familiar voice of Midori came from inside the home.

**Front Hall**

Midori knew who it was the moment the knock happened. Getting up from the table, she ignored the looks from her guests as she put on her best game face.

At the door itself, she took a breath to steady her worried nerves. She wasn't _really_ in trouble. It was just Nanako. It wasn't like it was anyone serious like Amane or her Daddy, right? There was no way that Mitsuru would yell at her for that!

She opened the door, and bowed low. "Hello, Kirijo-san."

"Uh, she's not here." Midori looked up and saw Aigis and Fuuka standing there under an umbrella. In a flash, her demeanour changed from sullen to happy.

"Fuu-cha! Aigis!" She jumped forward to embrace them both. "I was so worried that _she_ would come." She wrapped an arm around each of their necks, and drew them into a hug.

The two visitors shared a glance, recognizing the correct choice that Mitsuru had made.

"Come in! Come in!" She invited them into her home. "I have a study group going on."

Once Fuuka and Aigis were inside, and they had hung up their jackets, they entered the living room to find a boy and a girl about Midori's age sitting at the table. "Hello," the boy said. "I am called Dan." Aigis instantly zoomed in on him, evaluating Midori's 'not boyfriend' for anything untoward. Finding nothing except an ordinary human, she caught up as the other introduced herself.

"My name is Amane," the violet haired girl said as she shifted around to make more room at the table. "And you are?"

To Aigis' senses, this Amane was a prime Persona-user candidate. Even more so than Midori, who was busy getting more cups and another kettle for tea running. "Thank you. I am Aigis. This is Fuuka." She introduced the both of them, making informing Fuuka and Mitsuru of Amane's existence a high priority.

As though sensing Aigis' own probes, Amane focused her attention on her. "Ah, yes. She has mentioned you. What brings you out to Yasoinaba?"

"We needed to talk to Midori about something, and it couldn't be done over the phone." Fuuka said, ignorant of the byplay between the robot and the priestess. "So we came in person."

"It must have been a long train ride," Dan commented as he moved some books around. "Are you staying for supper, or something?"

Fuuka shook her head. She and Aigis had agreed on the way up that she would handle the diplomacy and talking with strangers unless Aigis felt comfortable with that. She was still a little unfamiliar with social niceties in certain circumstances, and trusted Fuuka to guide her through. And yet, the human reflected, she would trust Midori even more. It would be awkward if Aigis was caught between the two of them today. "Hopefully not. We still have school tomorrow."

Amane nodded in understanding. "You are welcome to sit and join us."

The two visitors took up the offer as Midori came out from the Kitchen with more drinks on a tray. "Here you go," she put down cups in front of Aigis and Fuuka and poured them a drink. Taking her won seat at the slightly crowded table, she took a sip from her own cup, ignoring the feelings in the air for her own feelings of relaxation that she wasn't in that much trouble.

"What are you studying?" Fuuka asked of Amane and Dan, an attempt at socializing before getting Midroi alone.

"Just literature," Amane said, careful to keep Aigis in sight at all times. It may have been rude, but she wasn't about to take any chances with the strange feeling she got from the white-haired girl. "So, how do you know Midori?"

"We were dorm-mates," Midori interjected. "Although it was a co-ed dorm, all the girls had one floor to themselves, while all the boys got another one."

"She also got me into the tennis club," Aigis said. "We went to the same tournament over the summer."

"Ah, then you are the one who won it," Dan said, now placing the name. "Congratulations."

"Thank you." Aigis said, bowing slightly in the process. "I look forward to future competitions. How did you come by being Midori's friend?"

"We are both on the Student Council," Dan explained. "Although it would be more accurate to say that we _are _the Council." He shrugged. "So we've been working together a lot."

"Oh, that's nice." Fuuka said, glancing at Aigis to make sure she wasn't acting untoward him. She wasn't, instead focusing on Amane. "And you?"

"We're old friends," Amane said. "We met when she lived in Tokyo. I maintain the local shrine at the Shopping District."

Aigis tilted her head slightly, carefully phrasing her next question. "Ah. It was my understanding that her move out of the city was fairly quick. I hope it wasn't too much trouble for you."

"No, not really." Amane thought for a moment that Aigis was referring in an oblique way to the events that week in Tokyo. "We were mostly just casual acquaintances. Once we found out that we were both here in Yasoinaba, our relationship improved with time."

Midori set down her empty cup. "Can I leave the two of you alone for a few minutes? I think they" she indicated Fuuka and Aigis "really want to talk to me given it's a six hour trip back."

"We have alternate transportation arranged," Aigis said. "There isn't that much of a time issue." She looked at Dan curiously, "Is your work on the council difficult?"

"Not as much as one might think." Dan shrugged. "It's not like larger schools where there is lots that needs supervision. In fact, the Culture Festival these past couple days was the most work we'll need to do this semester."

"How was it?" Fuuka asked, honestly curious. "I mean, I know Midori was making a costume for her class."

"We did a haunted house," Midori elaborated. "I don't remember what Dan's did."

"I wasn't involved as I got a pass from my class to focus on the larger organizational necessities." Dan said as he read over a written piece from Amane. "This is good." he handed it back to her. "Although from what I heard, Midori was personally responsible for the success of her class' event. She was just that intimidating."

"Downright demonic was the descriptions I heard last night at the shrine," Amane added, thinking that those she overheard were speaking in hyperbole.

She didn't miss the instant glance between the two out-of-towners. "She's done that before, hasn't she?"

"She has a certain skill..." Fuuka tried to explain in a way that wouldn't reveal anything wrong. "I mean..."

"It's nothing!" Midori tried to shut down that line of conversation for the same reasons as Fuuka. "I mean, it's not like I can't act or anything."

"That is true," Aigis confirmed. "Can you show me where the washroom is?" She stood up, and Midori found herself trapped by the necessity of politeness to show her guest there.

"This way," she said, standing up herself. "Come on."

She led Midori to the washroom, and once they were out of earshot of the rest, Aigis spoke quietly. "There are multiple points we must discuss."

"It's alright Aigis!" Midori tried to pressure her friend into dropping the problems before they blew up in her face. "I've got everything under control!"

"Under control as defined by you using Frosty in the Haunted House?" Aigis asked sharply, disappointed in her friend using her power for such frivolous pursuits. "Under control as defined by a child sneaking up on you?"

"What do you want from me?" Midori hissed, letting a bit of the anger she directed at Mitsuru be directed at her proxy. Aigis was still her friend, but she needed to know that there were still limits!

Aigis was completely nonplussed by the vehemence in Midori's voice. "You promised," she said calmly, "that you would take care in using Frosty."

"Yes, and when I screwed up, I _fixed_ it!"

"You did," Aigis affirmed. "But we are still here because the mistake was made."

Midori was reduced to a low growl at the subtle accusation that she felt Aigis was making. "Look," she said after a moment. "I get it. Mitsuru wants to know everything that's going on. She's a freaking control freak like that! But that doesn't mean that she gets to send you and Fuuka down here to give me hard looks and to question my every decision. She does that by merely existing!"

Aigis understood then what was going on, a flash of purely human insight that allowed her to see past the veils that Midori erected around herself to hide from herself and into her soul. And there was only one thing she could do to in that moment of clarity.

She hugged her friend. "I understand. I will make sure Mitsuru-san... stays off your case." She pulled back a little. "Did I say that right? Use the right idiom?"

Midori was stunned by the sudden hug. She didn't know why, but it felt like some small weight had been taken off her. "I think so. Yes. So, um, is Fuuka going to want to talk to me?"

"I doubt it," Aigis said with a very humane feeling of connection to her friend, something that was paradoxically right and unfamiliar. "But would you mind if we said hello to Nanako-chan? Just to let her know that we know she knows about your... story and to emphasize that she needs to be quiet about it?"

Midori froze for a moment. "Um... maybe? Do you really have to?"

Aigis put one finger to her chin in thought. "Well, I've never been a Magical Girl before, so it would be interesting to meet a fan. I've heard you have plenty of experience with such things."

For a moment, nothing happened, then Midori's facade broke with a giggle, then a laugh. "As long as you promise not to be mean to her, I think we can say hello." She waved off her own seriousness. "Thanks. I needed that. Things have been so stressful lately... I don't think I've been myself in a while."

As Midori turned her back on Aigis to lead her back to the living room, she missed Aigis freeze for a moment, then sharply look at her in bafflement. "_As thou connect and reach out to thy fellows to build a sense of community with humanity, so too shall thy reward being power and strength to defend them when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Arcana Moon_?" She repeated what she had heard under her breath.

"You say something Aigis?"

"No," she replied. "I was just thinking about something."

**Municipal Airport  
><strong>**Evening**

Fuuka and Aigis climbed into the helicopter and strapped themselves in while their pilot made the last minute preparations for take off. After adjusting her headset, Fuuka spoke to Aigis. "Cute kid, the way she looked at the two of us, though..."

"Yes," Aigis agreed. "I am still not sure how I should have reacted to that."

"You did well enough," Fuuka said with a smile. "So, what was that you wanted to say to me that you couldn't in the car?"

"Three things," Aigis began to enumerate them. "First, you are correct in your conclusion that Midori is under a great deal of stress. It just isn't the result of the move, but in terms of her commitments and other social factors."

"She told you that when you two went to the washroom?"

"Not in those words. I could sense it in her, and I offered what support I could."

"That's wonderful Aigis! What else?"

"Second, I believe I have forged what Minato called a 'Social Link' with Midori as a result of the previous."

"Um, what? You mean that whole 'draw power from ones connections' thing?"

"That is correct," the robot ignored the intense look from Fuuka. "It is a minor thing at this point, but has great potential."

"Mitsuru will want to know that," Fuuka said. "She wants all the information she can about the Wild Card, and this is one of the things that we don't have any information about."

Aigis nodded. "And thirdly, Midori's friend Amane was present for the Tokyo Event. Her name was mentioned to Akihiko in January as having the Persona 'Remiel'. According to my scans, she still has the potential, and it may be possible to re-awaken her power." She lied, recalling what Abel told her. But if Midori got a Persona from her ordeal, why not others?

Fukka stopped in shock. "You mean someone else in the same power class as Midori?"

"More so," Aigis said. "Her potential appears more than Midori's."

**Komaki Residence  
><strong>**Evening**

With the phone sitting on the edge of the counter, Midori carefully manoeuvred around it while preparing supper for herself, Amane, Mari and Daddy. Dan had gone home already, and she had called over to make sure that Nanako and Uncle Ryotaro were having supper at their place instead.

So of course Junpei had to call while she was busy preparing food for their weekly chat. Putting it on speaker, she worked at multi-tasking. "I hope Fuuka and Aigis got back alright," she said in a lull in their conversation.

"What are you talking about?" Junpei sounded suprised. "They left town? Why? And how did you find out before we did?"

"They came up here," she said. "and they needed to talk to me about a few things on Mitsuru's behalf." Both sides of the conversation knew that Midori's end could be overheard, so they had to dance around topics Persona-related. "When you see Aigis, ask her about the Magical Girl show I concocted."

"You did what?" Mamoru said from the living room. "Do I have to call one of your aunts to see if they are willing to read it over."

"It was an idea, Daddy!" Midori objected as she started to toss the salad. "It was an idea that got out of hand, and the visit by my friends had nothing to do with that."

Mamoru debated asking her why, but decided against it. Not only did they have guests over, but he trusted her enough to know that if she really needed help, she would ask for it.

"Aunts?" Mari asked as she flipped through the paper she brought with her. "Your side of the family?"

"Nope," Mamoru said. "They're what she was raised to call her mother's co-workers. After she died, they helped out quite a bit." He still made sure they got chocolate every year and cards for all the hard work they put themselves through for him when he couldn't do anything. "They're a circle of authors who write for certain types of shows."

Amane connected the dots first. "That explains where she gets her favourite televisions shows from."

While that happened at the table, Midori freed up a hand to use the handset directly. "Look," she said while keeping an eye on the stuff in front of her. "I made a mistake, and they came by to make sure that it ended there. Nothing serious about it. Ask Aigis."

Junpei didn't sound totally convinced. "What did you do?"

"You shouldn't pry, Junpei." Chidori objected. "She has learned her lesson, whatever it is. We do not need to pry."

"You may not want to," Junpei countered. "But now I'm interested!"

Sensing that her side of this conversation was over – it wasn't like they really needed her advice any more, Midori said her farewells, then turned off the phone. Checking the timer on the curry, she announced "Seven more minutes!"

**Kirijo Group HQ, Shadow Hunters**

"We can't touch her," Mitsuru announced after reviewing Aigis' report.

"Why not?" the robot asked.

"Because she, like Midori, was a participant in the Tokyo Lockdown. Even if she was still capable of summoning a Persona – something we have no evidence of given that it has been over a year and Midori only did thanks to the Dark Hour and the Hermit – she is under watch by the SDF. And there are still issues to be sorted out between them and Public Security regarding what we can and cannot do." Mitsuru leaned back in her chair, wishing something could be done about her headache.

Aigis didn't understand politics of that sort, and her previous requests for an explanation had met with even more questions. "Is there anything else?"

"No," Mitsuru said, dismissing her agent. "Thank you for your effort."

As she left, Aigis reflected that it was certainly a good idea to not to inform her superior what she suspected was part of the root cause of Midori's current issues – that she was trying to mimic or channel Mitsuru, and the two different mentalities were still at war externally. Besides, she still had another option to work with to help her friend become a better person.

**27 September 2010  
><strong>**Gekkoukan High School, Student Council Room  
><strong>**After School**

Chihiro waited in silence after Aigis finished her request. The ever-mysterious Tokyo transfer student from last year was still a pile of questions that refused to be answered. But the ever present memory that this girl was under the protection of President Kirijo kept everyone at eye-range, rather than trying to get to know her more personally. Only those whom she had approved of even tried.

Which meant that for Aigis to come to Chihiro for something meant that she was going outside of her comfort zone, and the conservatively dressed girl was not one to do something like that without serious prodding.

"I won't ask how you came by your information, or your conclusions," the Vice-President said between the two of them. "But if you're sure of this...?"

"I am," Aigis said firmly. "You are Midori's friend, and you are in a position to help her more than I can."

How could she refuse that? "Very well. I will advise Midori on her responsibilities more often. But understand that I can not do that all the time. I have my own responsibilities to work through. And you yourself are a third-year student." Chihiro adjusted her glasses as she waited for Aigis to respond.

"Thank you," Aigis bowed. "I am in your debt."

**Yasogami High School, Teacher's Office**

Morooka flipped through the well-written plan for next year. "The two of you want to move the festival back a month next year." It wasn't a question. Even though the Council had voted unanimously in favour of the change, it still needed faculty approval. And Morooka was the Principal's chosen representative in that regard, which meant that they still needed his approval. "So, was it your idea, Riddle-kun?" He used the nickname without shame, and The Quiz King let it slide. "Or was it hers?"

"It was something that came out of mutual conversation regarding this year's event." He had chosen his words well in advance to allow Morooka to put as much credit onto his prized student as he wanted.

"That's good," Morooka said after reading the same thing over and over again. "The Principal has a plan for a thing next year for the first and second-years that would work better if this was moved." He let the papers fall to the desk. "I don't think there will be any issues involved with the move back to October."

Dan was now curious. "What event, Morooka-sensei?"

But the stern teacher waved him off. "Don't you worry about that just yet. That's something for the teachers to discuss first."

Recognizing that he would get no further there, Dan bowed. "Is there anything else?"

"Nah. Good work out there." Morooka said, watching Dan carefully. "You just watch yerself around Midori, you hear me?"

Dan nodded. "Of course. Improper behaviour will not be tolerated."

That brought a thin smile to the teacher's face. "I'm glad to see you understand. Now git going!"

**Dojima Residence, Backyard  
><strong>**Evening**

The two elder men sat outside, sharing hot coffee between them.

"So, feeling better about things?"

Ryotaro didn't respond right away. "Sure," he said quietly, "I finally took her to the grave yesterday."

Mamoru put a hand on his shoulder in support. "How did she handle it?"

The detective's shoulders slumped. "It was harder for me than it was for her." He paused to wipe some moisture from his eyes. "I think she knew what was going on when we went out, and she tried to be the big girl."

"I understand," Mamoru said, reminding himself to reward his daughter appropriately for being a role model for Nanako. "How long were you up there?"

"A couple hours," Ryotaro replied. "I spent a lot of time talking to her. Telling her about Nanako, and how the two of you have helped me out so much."

"We'll both still be here for you." Mamoru noted that his coffee was running low, but didn't move from his seat.

"I know. Thank you again. And though she'll never say it, or never fully understand why, thanks to Midori as well." Ryotaro found his drink in the same condition and stayed sitting as well. "I'm still going to look for the person who killed her."

"I would expect nothing less. But please don't let your pursuit of the past blind you to her future."

"I won't."

The two men looked up at the clouds. "Oh hell," Ryotaro said as he noticed something. "It's starting to snow."

Mamoru laughed, earning a harsh glare from his friend. "Sorry! Sorry! It's just that in her shows, and dramas, snowfall is supposed to represent innocence or a fresh start. So having it come down now, well," he suppressed a chortle as Ryotaro groaned.

"We do not live is a stupid drama," he said. "Get your head out of the TV."

"Alright! Alright! I suppose we should head inside then. I doubt this will last, but it will be a good idea to make sure the house heating is set up."

"I hear you." Ryotaro stood up, stretching his back in the process. "Oh, just so you know, Adachi, my new partner will be coming over for supper next week. I want Nanako to meet him, but would you be willing to take her overnight if needed?"

"Still not good around strangers, is she?"

"Nope."


End file.
